Tyrant Lizard
by OpenSourceArtist
Summary: XXXG-01D, the original author of "Tyrant Lizard" has discontinued this story after a tragedy within the family. For now I am simply reposting his story so others may still enjoy it, but he did give me permission to continue where he left off, so enjoy. Ichigo turned Hollow story. (Hiatus/Adopted, 6/17/13)
1. Birth of the Tyrant

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Kisuke Urahara watched as the last link of the chain of fate crumbled and the hole opened up in Ichigo's chest. Everything seemed still for an instant. Urahara shut his eyes. He knew what was coming.

An explosion of reiatsu came from the boy as a strange white substance began pouring out of his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. Ichigo was in more pain than he had ever thought possible, Byakuya running him through was nothing compared to this. The pressure on his body was incomprehensible. It felt like his body was suddenly three sizes too small for him, and was bursting at the seams trying to contain him. He barely felt the restraints that Tessai was using to hold his arms back shatter from the force of the Reiatsu he was emitting.

Unknown to the boy, inside of him, a man with dark hair, sunglasses, and a black coat was also screaming, as he felt himself transforming as well. Zangetsu was a part of Ichigo's soul, and since Ichigo's soul was changing into a Hollow, he felt the transformation, felt his power merging with that of the Hollow.

Outside of Ichigo, the three figures on top of the Shattered Shaft were watching the scene unfolding below. "I have to help him." Said a girl with dark hair and pink marks under her eyes.

"No" Urahara's response was firm. "Watch him closely, nothing more. Normally when a whole becomes a Hollow, the spiritual body explodes, and then reforms. But in his case, the order is all mixed up. The mask is being created while the body is still a whole. There's still a strong possibility that in time he'll become a Shinigami. If he really does turn into a Hollow…" He let his voice trail off. They all knew what that meant.

Down in the pit, Tessai was doing his best to hold the transforming Ichigo, but it was no use. The Reiatsu he was emitting was enough to break anything he tried. He had just tried the devastating Kurohitsuji (Black Coffin), but the pressure inside was so strong that the blades weren't able to pierce the orange-haired teen. And now he had bigger problems. When the Black Coffin shattered, a white and red form had streaked upwards out of the pit. Tessai had only seen a glimpse of it, but that was all he needed. That was a full hollow. There was no mistaking it.

The Hollow that Ichigo had become had landed in a cloud of dust, and at first the three up top were unable to get a good look. The dust cleared and even Urahara seemed disturbed at the image presented.

The Hollow was in the shape of a humanoid lizard, white with red markings along it. A tail tipped in red thrashed about behind it. The Hollow's feet were birdlike, the arms and chest powerfully muscled. Spikes protruded from the shoulders, and a mane of spiky orange hair went down the back. The mask was surprisingly simple, just big enough to cover the face, with nine red lines on the left side. With a scream, it attacked.

Leaping toward the three with incredible speed, the Hollow made a wild downward slash with one of it's arms. Jinta and Ururu lept away, while Kisuke Urahara pulled his sword out of his cane and delivered a quick slash at the Hollow's outstretched arm, intending to sever it at the elbow. He was shocked when the sealed form of his Zanpakuto simply bounced off the skin of the Hollow. Taking advantage of his disbelief, the insane Hollow brought it's other arm up across it's body. Uruhara disappeared, then reappeared behind the Hollow, this time slashing at it's back. Again he was rebuffed by the seemingly invulnerable skin of the Hollow that Ichigo had become. The tail lashed out and Urahara was again forced to Shunpo away.

By this point Tessai had come out of the pit and joined in the battle. Quickly shooting off a Hado 4 Byakurai (White Lightning) at the Hollow, he, like Urahara, was met with little success.

By this point the Hollow was on the attack again, its speed forcing Urahara to regularly use Shunpo. He quickly discovered that not only was its speed incredible, it was as strong as a crazed Kenpachi too. Urahara was forced to use both hands as he blocked the Hollow's strike, and he was still sent skidding across the training area.

Looking around, he saw that Jinta and Ururu were nowhere to be see. Urahara breathed a quick sigh of relief. Those two had obviously seen that this Hollow was way beyond their abilities and had decided to just get out of the way. Under the green and white hat, Urahara's eyes narrowed. No longer the goofball, in his place was a focused Captain of the Gotei 13, and there was a rampaging Hollow in front of him. He brought his blade up in front of his face. "Okiro, Benihime (Wake up, Crimson Princess).

The blade glowed red as it transformed, the blade widening, the hilt gaining elaborate decorations. In an instant it was over, the shikai of the Zanpakuto emerging. Hollow Ichigo was currently engaged against Tessai, the former commander of the Kido Corps using every trick he had to stay one step ahead of the berserk Hollow.

It wasn't enough. Kido alone wasn't enough against this Hollow. Another Byakurai (White Lightning) bounced harmlessly off the Hollow's skin. A Soren Sokatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down) did little more than slow the thing down for a couple of seconds, and that was only because the momentum from the Kido drove him back, not because it actually did any damage. Granted, Tessai had performed it without the chant, severely weakening the spell, but to not be damaged at all by a Kido of that level was just unheard of.

"What have I created?" Urahara whispered to himself. This kind of fight was something that he would expect against an Adjuchas class Arrancar, not a newly created Hollow! Still, now that he was a Hollow, Ichigo would have to be put down. Moving around to the Hollow's backside with Shunpo, he gathered as much Reiryoku as he could. The blade glowed crimson and Hollow Ichigo was given no chance to dodge.

"Nake, Benihime (Sing, Crimson Princess). A wave of red energy slammed into the Hollow from behind, sending it staggering forward. Not giving it the chance to recover, Kisuke rushed forward, Benihime still aglow with crimson Reiryoku, and slammed his Zanpakuto into the Hollow's back with all the force he could muster. For the first time in the fight, the Hollow shrieked in pain.

As the Hollow spun around to meet Urahara, Tessai could clearly see the gash in the Hollow's back, right where the neck met the shoulders. Then, even as he watched, the wound closed and in less than a second it looked like there had been no wound at all. Steeling himself against the apparent indestructibility of this Hollow, he began to prepare for another Kurohitsuji (Black Coffin). This time, Urahara was occupying the thing, and he wasn't rushed. He began to chant, bringing the spell up to full power.

Urahara was having a much easier time of it now. His shikai was actually able to deal damage, and the blasts of Reiryoku he kept launching in the creature's face were certainly helping to keep it on the defensive a great deal more than it had been earlier. He hadn't yet been able to get to the Hollow's mask, but all it would take is time. Behind the Hollow, he could clearly see Tessai chanting for some Kido spell. Probably a very high level one too, if the amount of time he was taking was any indication. He refocused himself on the Hollow in front of him. He couldn't afford to get careless with this thing.

About twenty seconds later, Urahara saw Tessai begin to move, getting into position for the spell. All he had to do was keep the Hollow occupied for another couple of seconds and it would all be over. He deliberately fell back a few steps, trying to get the hollow to chase him so it wouldn't notice Tessai. It didn't quite work. It didn't notice Tessai, but it also didn't chase him. Instead, it held up it's hand, gathering the index, middle, and ring fingers into a point, or as near a one as it could make. Red energy swirled around the tips of the clawed fingers.

'_Shit, Cero!'_ Urahara thought, eyes wide at the power building up behind the cero. Three crimson trails of Reiryoku gathered around the red orb, and although it was deadly, Urahara was a scientist and couldn't just turn off his brain. He watched, gears in his head turning, trying to process what he was seeing.

'_Ah, now I understand. It's making three separate cero's, one from each finger, and concentrating them at the same spot, forcing them to blend together and create one large cero. Powerful technique to be sure. Fortunately, it's only a regular Hollow, so it can't control its reiryoku well enough to put as much power into it as an Adjuchas class Menos or an Arrancar would. Still, I'd better…'_

"Nake, Benihime" This time, instead of a red blast of Reiatsu being thrown from the blade, it seemed to seep out, creating a shield in front of the blonde man. Just in time, as the cero blasted out from the Hollow's fingers in a beam of red energy. The cero struck the blood mist shield, and though the edges of it were eroded badly, the figure behind it was unharmed. Fortunately for him, that gave Tessai enough time to come up from behind the Hollow and hit it with the full power Kurohitsuji (Black Coffin).

The Hollow was definitely hurt by the Kido this time, if the shriek of pain was anything to go by. When the black energy retracted, the Hollow was sporting numerous gashes and holes, although it had protected its mask with it's hands and tail, the only reason it was still alive.

Urahara rushed forward to end the battle, but before he could, the Hollow vanished into Hueco Mundo, leaving only the stench of its Reiatsu in the air behind.

Hollows are creatures of instinct. The instinct of self-preservation was probably the most dominant one in a newly-created Hollow. When Ichigo had felt the battle turn against him, he did what his self-preservation instinct had told him to do. Run. Save himself so he could live another day.

Urahara wiped the sweat off his forehead, mildly surprised that he had been sweating to begin with. He scowled, the expression looking unnatural on his face. _'I shouldn't be having this much trouble with any normal Hollow, regardless of how strong it is compared to other normal Hollows. Even being gone from Soul Society for a hundred years, there's no excuse for being this out of shape._'

"That did not go as planned, sir." Came Tessai's voice.

"No, it didn't. And with Ichigo in Hueco Mundo, there's nothing else we can do. I wish there was some way we could stop him from evolving. He's bad enough right now, I wouldn't want to go anywhere near him if he became an Adjuchas or, God forbid, a Vasto Lorde. And if Aizen finds him and turns him into an Arrancar…" Urahara's voice trailed off. He didn't even need to go into how bad that would be. Ichigo as a Vasto Lorde Arrancar, after the kind of power he'd shown in that brief fight? He'd be all Aizen would need to conquer Soul Society.

"I guess about the only thing that we can hope for is that he runs across an Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde and gets himself devoured before he has a chance to evolve. Otherwise, it could be the end of the world as we know it."

"How will you let Isshin know what happened?" Urahara winced. Isshin had been a Captain in the Gotei 13 on the same level as himself. To say that Isshin would be pissed about what had happened to his son would be a big understatement.

"I don't know. I guess I'll have to go break the news to him tomorrow."

"Break what news, and to who?" Urahara spun around, before relaxing as he recognized the voice.

"Yoruichi" Indeed, sitting not ten feet away from him was Yoruichi Shihoun in cat form, tail swishing lazily behind her. Her golden eyes were intense as she stared at him.

"Break what news, and to who?" She repeated her question. Urahara's hand went up to the top of his bucket hat. That's when she knew something was terribly wrong.

He didn't have the habit in Soul Society, but ever since coming to the human world he had developed the nervous habit of putting his hand on top of his hat whenever he was worried about something. For him to do it meant something bad had happened. She had felt the burst of Reiatsu even through the insulated walls of the training area, although it was only faintly, and had given Orihime and Chad the rest of the day off, and had raced back here to find out what was going on. And she was not in the mood for Urahara to be evasive.

"Kisuke." The low growling in the former execution squad commander's voice was enough to get Urahara talking.

"Well, you see, in order to regain his Shinigami powers, we put him through the Shattered Shaft, but he wasn't able to become a Shinigami in time, and then-"

"And then he turned into a Hollow, and you were forced to exorcise him." Yoruichi finished, her paw over her face in a fairly accurate mimicry of a human putting their face in their hands.

"Actually, no, we were unable to exorcise him before he retreated to Hueco Mundo." Yoruichi cocked her head, unable to really believe what he had just said. A former Captain of the Gotei 13 and the former commander of the Kido Corps were unable to exorcise a newly formed Hollow?

"Urahara, what are you trying to pull? There's no way that you and Tessai could fail to take down a newly created Hollow before it could go to Hueco Mundo."

"I wish." At Yoruichi's questioning look, Urahara elaborated. "Kido spells didn't seem to affect it at all, the only one that even did damage was Tessai's Kurohitsuji (Black Coffin), and that was only after he did the entire chant. He did it without the chant when Ichigo was first transforming and there wasn't a scratch on it. I actually had to release shikai just to penetrate the thing's skin. And it was fast enough to make me use Shunpo regularly, and I was sent backwards after blocking a blow from it. What's worse is, when I finally did manage to hurt it, the Hollow regenerated instantly. The damage from Tessai's Black Coffin was almost completely gone by the time it retreated to Hueco Mundo, and it did that immediately following it's release from the coffin."

Throughout Urahara's entire explanation, Yoruichi's eyes had kept getting wider. When he was finished, her fur was standing on end, and her eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. "God, Urahara, and this thing was a newly created Hollow?"

"Yes, that was Ichigo as a Hollow, and now I've got to break the news to his father, and his sisters. If only-Hey, where are you going!"

Yoruichi looked over her shoulder as she walked away. "I'll tell Isshin. He probably won't try to kill me, and I'm fast enough to get away if he does." She transformed in mid-step, he long purple hair covering her bare ass. "You owe me, Urahara" she called back at him.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Urahara said to himself.

"What do you think happened to make Yoruichi take off in the middle of training us?" Orihime questioned the hulking Mexican next to her.

There was a pause for a second as he seemed to consider. "I don't know.

In Hueco Mundo, nearly everything is sand. A white and red figure looked around, trying to gain some direction in his first time here. There was sand under his clawed feet, and around him was trees, white trees as though they were petrified stone. Above him was a roof made of what looked like sand. A strange pulling sensation distracted him from his examination of the surroundings.

He stared down at his chest, gazing in wonder at the hole that went clear through his being. That was the source. He stared curiously, wondering what the pulling sensation was. It was familiar, yet different. A long howl pulled him out of his musing and he watched as a Hollow that looked like a wolf descended down on him. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the Hollow by the mask, forcing its mouth closed, then pulled it in and bit a huge chunk out of its shoulder. Even through its teeth, the thing wailed and with an almost unconscious move, Ichigo crushed the Hollow's face, making its corporeal body crumble to dust.

Ichigo felt a warm sensation and a temporary lessening of the pulling feeling in his chest. Realization dawned. In order to satisfy the pulling, he had to keep eating the other Hollows. His instincts kicking into high gear, it was 'kill or be killed, eat or be eaten.' The crowd of Hollows that appeared around him never stood a chance.

Yuzu Kurosaki heard the bell to their house ring and went to answer, humming a tune that she liked. Ichigo was gone for the whole summer, and it just wasn't the same without him and their father constantly fighting. Pulling on the door handle, she expected to see one of Ichigo or Karin's friends. What she wasn't expecting to see was a woman with long purple hair in a ponytail, dusky skin and golden eyes.

"Is Isshin here?" Nodding slowly, she pulled the door open a little more as she heard her fathers voice yelling from upstairs. The woman stepped into the house and called up. "Isshin, it's Yoruichi! Get down here!"

"What! Yoruichi! Hang on a second." Isshin Kurosaki came flying down the stairs, before coming to a stop. "Is Ichigo alright? Did anything happen? Where's Kisuke?" The questions came tumbling out of his mouth. He too had felt the blast of Reiatsu earlier, Reiatsu that felt like his son's.

"Hang on a second, Isshin, I think everyone needs to be here for this." Yoruichi's evasive answer only confirmed to him that something was wrong.

When the entire family was gathered, Yoruichi began her story. "My name is Yoruichi Shihouin. I'm an old friend of your father. Ichigo was visiting us for the summer and, well" Looking down to give the impression of grief and guilt, she continued. "He died."

Yuzu's hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes as big as saucers and quickly welling up with tears. Karin wasn't much better, although there were no tears in her eyes. She was just in shock.

Isshin was shaking as Yoruichi continued, but it wasn't out of sadness or grief. It was rage. "We think it was a heart attack. He just collapsed and never got back up. We did all we could, but he was already dead. I'm sorry." Her voice was low and mournful. She wasn't trying to pull one over on Isshin, but his daughters absolutely had to accept the story.

"Yuzu, Karin, why don't you two go up to your rooms. I need to talk with her about the funeral, and some other things." Karin led the crying Yuzu up to their room. Isshin turned to Yoruichi. "Outside. Now." The two of them went out the front door.

Outside, Yoruichi waited for the explosion. "What the hell really happened?" Isshin growled.

"Urahara was making Ichigo do the Shattered Shaft training to recover his Shinigami powers. He didn't make it out in time, and he transformed into a full Hollow. Kisuke and Tessai were unable to exorcise him before he retreated to Hueco Mundo." Her voice was flat, level.

"I see." Isshin's voice was cold as Hyorinmaru.

"Kurosaki" Orihime whispered in a broken voice. To her side, Chad was silent, but there was no mistaking the slumping of his shoulders as he heard that his best friend has died trying to recover his Shinigami powers. Even Uryu was in shock. The orange haired boy had defeated a Gillian class Menos right in front of him, and yet he had been killed attempting to regain the powers of a Shinigami.

'_You fool.'_ Uryu thought savagely to himself.

"Chad" His head rose to meet Urahara's eyes. "Ichigo asked you to watch out for his sisters for him." True, Ichigo had. Before they had begun training Urahara had asked Ichigo if there was anything he would like to say to anyone in case he died.

Chad transformed his arm and placed his hand against the ground. "I swear to you, Ichigo, on my grandfather's grave, that I will protect your sisters. They won't die before me."

Chad had only met one of Ichigo's sisters, and even that was only for a very brief time. But it didn't matter to him if he didn't know them. They were Ichigo's family, and Chad had sworn to watch Ichigo's back for him, and then hadn't been there when Ichigo had died. Intellectually, he knew that there was nothing he could have done even if he had been there. But emotions don't answer to logic, and the guilt that he felt was nearly enough to drown him.

Chad felt powerless, and it wasn't a feeling that he liked. He wouldn't have been able to do a thing against the Menos Grande that Ichigo had defeated, and Ichigo had been defeated, no, _destroyed _by the Shinigami. He needed more power, both to protect Ichigo's sisters, and to fulfill the mission that Ichigo had left him. Rescue Rukia Kuchiki.

Warmth flowed through him, similar to when his powers first activated. Chad screamed as his arm began to change becoming bulkier, the two protrusions over the shoulder merging into one, the extension on the wrist widening, looking almost like triangles. As Chad screamed his rage and sadness to the sky, his other arm began to transform too, looking just like the first one. Chad screamed for another second, then collapsed to the floor.

His Reiryoku exhausted, and both arms transformed, Chad was fast losing consciousness. _'I'll protect your sisters, Ichigo. And I'll rescue Rukia. I promise.'_

Orihime had stepped back while the transformation was taking place, as had Uryu. Having dealt with Hollows far more extensively than Orihime, he was able to feel the similarity between Chad's Reiatsu and that of a Hollow, and it unnerved him for a second before he got his instincts under control. Chad wasn't a Hollow.

Urahara stepped forward, kneeling over Chad's unconscious form for a second before straightening back up. "Nothing to worry about. He just used up all his Reiatsu transforming." He looked around. "Good thing this neighborhood is pretty much abandoned, otherwise we'd probably have people calling the cops on us."

He felt the bite at his side, but once again the other Hollow was simply unable to penetrate his tough hide. Whipping around, he slammed his clawed hand through the other Hollow's body, then tore into it with his teeth. Wailing, it disappeared just like all the ones that had come before it. Racing through the trees, there was only one thought on Ichigo's mind. _'More, I need more.' _A figure appeared in front of him and Ichigo skidded to a halt.

Ichigo stared at the figure across from him. A long, thin Hollow Mask with goggle like eyes and two thin horns covered the face, and a brown pelt was draped across the shoulders, the pelt decorated with other Hollow Masks. A shield made of Hollow Masks was gripped in the left hand, and the other hand held a Zanpakuto with a green bound hilt and a square guard with a chip out of one of the corners.

Ichigo had just finished mopping up four Hollows, and was at full strength. They had tried to devour him and had quickly found out that they were nowhere near as strong as they thought they were.

And now how he found himself facing down a Shinigami who had gotten trapped here nearly three centuries before. Not that Ichigo knew that, he just knew that the Shinigami wasn't supposed to be there.

"Shinigami." Ichigo snarled.

"Hollow." The Shinigami said in a more controlled voice, but with just as much anger simmering beneath the surface. The two of them stared at each other for a couple of seconds, then they exploded into action.

Ichigo dashed forward, intent on disemboweling the Shinigami that dared to wear Hollow Masks like they were trophies. When he got within a few feet of the Shinigami, his opponent seemed to disappear, reappearing behind Ichigo, shield held out to stop the tail that Ichigo attempted to hit him with. His Zanpakuto slashed downwards just as Ichigo began to turn.

There was a scraping sound, and Ichigo felt something he hadn't felt since he first became a Hollow. Pain.

Slowly, as though he was cutting into stone with a file, each inch pulled backwards on the sword deepened the shallow wound that he had managed to put in Ichigo's near impenetrable skin. The key word being "near".

Ichigo leapt forward, getting away from the one that had caused him pain, his wound already almost completely closed. He spun, fingers already together, pulling all the Reiryoku he could pull from the environment into himself, then forcing it to his fingers to make the strongest attack he could. When he was finished, the Shinigami again vanished.

This time, however, Ichigo had guessed that he was going to do that, and waited for him to reappear.

When he did, it was just over Ichigo's right shoulder, sword held back, ready to carve into the side of Ichigo's face. This time, Ichigo was ready for him.

Bringing his tail down in a low sweep, threatening to take the Shinigami's legs out from under him, he grinned victoriously when his opponent took the bait, halting his swing for a split second as he went up, giving Ichigo the instant he needed. The cero charged on the fingers of his left hand pulsed wickedly as he brought his hand around, discharging the power over his right shoulder, hitting the Shinigami at point blank range.

Ichigo howled in frustration as he felt his quarry traveling backwards just ahead of the cero, and realized that the damned Shinigami had managed to get his shield of Hollow Masks up just in time. And the shield was holding. Ichigo let the power bleeding out of his fingers fade, and spun around, crouching low, ready to spring at a moment's notice.

When the sand settled, he saw the Shinigami down on one knee, the shield cracked but still whole, and the Shinigami, although winded, not harmed. Ichigo hissed through the mask and leaped forward. The Shinigami was already back on his feet, and dodged to the left, ducking under Ichigo's grasping hand, and leaving a shallow gash from the middle of his chest to just under his right armpit. The wound sealed instantly, and Ichigo lashed out with his tail, only to have the Shinigami flip up into the air, stabbing down into the base of his tail. Ichigo tried to backhand him while he was vulnerable, but the Shinigami disappeared and Ichigo failed to land a blow.

For a while the duel continued like that, Ichigo unable to land a hit, and the shinigami unable to do any lasting damage. Most of that was the regeneration, but some of it was that the Shinigami was simply unable to penetrate very deeply. He could scratch through the outer layer of skin with effort, but he couldn't get enough force to truly inflict damage.

However, Ichigo had the big advantage. He was Hollow, and this was Hueco Mundo. He could keep fighting by using the Reiryoku from the area around him. The Shinigami had only his own strength to rely on. And he was getting tired.

Ashido Kano had been through thousands of battles since he had come to Hueco Mundo. Hundreds of them had been against Gillian class Hollows. Dozens of those had been against Adjuchas class Hollows. But he'd never faced anything like the one he was facing now.

Nothing he was doing was actually hurting it. He'd tried Kido a few times, and had quickly abandoned that avenue of attack, and his Zanpakuto couldn't cut deeply enough into it to make it give him an opening so he could cut the mask. He'd already lost the shield earlier in the fight. With Shunpo, and reflexes honed from hundreds of close calls, he was faster, but not by enough. And he was slowing down.

The lizard-like Hollow took another wild swing, he ducked and dashed forward, Zanpakuto held low, both hands on the hilt as he slipped to the left slightly, he was inside the Hollow's guard, he drove his hands forward, tip of his sword pointed at the Hollow's face, saw too late the foot coming up to catch him in the stomach. _'Shit, can't dodge!'_

For the first time in the fight, he was actually hit by the Hollow, and it felt like someone had uprooted one of the giant trees that littered the Menos Forest and hit him with it. He was sent skidding back across the sand, blood coming from the three gashes across his abdomen that the Hollow's foot had left. His mask came off his face as he collided headfirst with a tree, his vision going blurry for a second. As soon as his vision cleared, he saw the Hollow above him but couldn't move fast enough to block the strike or even bring his Zanpakuto up and make it a mutual kill. He closed his eyes. _'I've lived a good life. I've killed many Hollows. I've avenged my friends.' _In his mind's eye, he saw his Zanpakuto, the chipped guard a testimony to the battles he had fought. In his hand, his thumb rubbed the Zanpakuto's guard affectionately. _'Thank you, my friend. I just wish that I had been able to learn your name.'_

'_**Ashido.' **_He knew that voice, even though he'd only heard it once, before he had come to Hueco Mundo. His eyes snapped open to see that the Hollow was frozen in its killing strike. He began to laugh, the first laugh he had enjoyed since coming to Hueco Mundo. How ironic was this? He could finally hear his Zanpakuto, right before he died. After all the meditation that he had done, trying to contact it here, after all the life-threatening battles that he had barely survived, he could finally hear it.

'_**You've become strong, Ashido. Do not blame yourself for being unable to hear me before now. You were simply not ready. Now, however, you are strong enough to hear me. Fighting the Hollows you have with me in my sealed form is a accomplishment that many Lieutenants could not boast of. There are even Captains who would have problems fighting what you have fought without releasing their swords.**_

He could feel something with scales brush by his arm, and a forked tongue licked at his cheek.

'_**As you are now, I have always been strong. I have been waiting for you to become strong enough to reveal myself.' **_Ashido's Zanpakuto moved into view, a black salamander head with fangs that protruded from the upper lip, and flames running down the sides of its cheeks. _**'I will not let you die here, Ashido. You have gone through too much. Say my name, let my power infuse you, and together, we will win.'**_

Time reverted to normal, and though he could still feel the heat his Zanpakuto was generating right beside him, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Hollow couldn't see it. He felt power flow from his Zanpakuto, energizing him, washing away the tiredness of his muscles, replacing it with energy that his body struggled to contain. His body felt stronger, his reactions sharper than they had ever been before. _**'That was only a fraction of what I can do. Say my name.**_

"Furea, Sanshoouo (Flare, Salamander)" Ashido whispered, lips barely moving. He didn't need to shout it to the world. The only thing that mattered was that his Zanpakuto responded, and it would do that whether he shouted or whether he whispered, and whispering saved his breath, something that he was going to need.

The Zanpakuto in his right hand was transforming even as he brought it up to block the clawed hand that was reaching down to tear his heart out. The green binding on the hilt burned away to be replaced with black, the hilt itself extending. A blade grew out of both sides of the hilt, longer and wider than the average Zanpakuto, and each blade perfectly straight. Both sides of both blades were edged, and there was no guard between the extended hilt and the blades. Altogether, the Zanpakuto stood roughly seven feet long from tip to tip.

He caught the Hollow's hand on the edge of his Zanpakuto, and cut deeper than he had before, almost up to the wrist. Startled by the unexpected turn of events, the Hollow leaped back, the wound sealing up again, just like it had previously in the fight. This time though, Ashido didn't intend to let it come back on the attack. _'Is there anything that you can do to finish this quickly? Even if I am able to cut him, this will still be a very long battle.'_

'_**You did not believe that I would show myself to you and not have a way to win, did you?' **_The Zanpakuto spirit chided. _**'Hold the blade in front of you, both of your hands on the hilt.'**_

Ashido responded to the instructions his Zanpakuto was giving him. He held his Zanpakuto out in front of him, between him and the Hollow, who was waiting to see what he would do. He began to spin the blade, faster and faster. He could feel the Zanpakuto's power burning through the sword. Small flames, so hot that they turned a bluish-white flared up where the hilt met the blades, spreading quickly down the edges of the swords. When the blades were completely covered and he was spinning the sword as fast as he could, the flames along the blades making it seem like there was a solid disc of blue-white flames in front of him, he commanded his Zanpakuto to attack. "Kikaki (Vaporizer)."

From the outer tip of the blade in, a blue-white pillar of flame shot out of the blade, nearly seven feet in diameter. The Hollow, not having remotely expected the attack, couldn't dodge in time, and was consumed in the flames.

The spinning blade had come from just above the sand to well over his head, and it completely engulfed the Hollow that he had aimed it at. He lowered the sword, panting. Even with the boost that his Zanpakuto had given him, he'd been nowhere near one hundred percent, and he'd never had a tremendous amount of Reiryoku to begin with.

'_**Do not fret about that. Your Reiryoku will increase as you use my ability more, which will in turn make the ability more powerful.'**_

'_More powerful?' _Ashido thought, completely shocked.

'_**Yes. If you were to use that pillar at full strength, the flames are so hot that they will vaporize anything they hit. Fortunately, the technique is so well contained that the flames will not burn anything outside of the pillar. Since the flames are so hot it vaporizes instead of truly burning, anything outside the pillar is safe, save for radiant heat.'**_

'_It sounds like it makes it rather easy to dodge.'_

'_**True, it does, if you use it straight out. If you were to, say, bind your enemy with Kido, then hit him with that attack, he wouldn't be able to dodge. And the longer you sustain it, the longer they have to try to resist it. It is possible to resist the fire by using your own Reiatsu as a shield, however, it takes a tremendous amount to do so even for an instant, and if you get your Reiryoku reserves high enough, you can sustain the attack for several minutes on end. Since it is impossible to move when you are using your Reiatsu to buffer attacks, your enemy would have no choice but to simply stand there unless they wanted to be vaporized instantly. And there is nothing that has enough Reiatsu to resist my attack for several minutes.'**_

The flames were gone, Ashido only having held it for two seconds, any longer and he would have collapsed even with his Zanpakuto's help. His lips twitched upwards in a smile. He'd destroyed the strongest regular Hollow he'd ever come across, which was a good thing, he wouldn't want to even imagine that thing as an Adjuchas. He'd achieved the shikai of his Zanpakuto, and hopefully now he'd be able to kill even more Hollows than before. In the previous centuries, it had seemed that no matter how many Hollows he'd killed, their numbers never seemed to decrease. Maybe now he'd be able to actually make a difference, be able to kill off Hollows faster than they could make new Hollows out of innocent people. As he turned to leave, his eyes took in the line that his attack had taken, and then widened in shock. "No." He whispered.

Standing there with its arms crossed in front of its face was the Hollow, the incredible wounds the attack had inflicted already healing. _'Can he even be killed?'_

Ichigo had been absolutely certain that he was going to kill the little Shinigami when suddenly his Zanpakuto had changed and he had cut into Ichigo's hand all the way up to the wrist. He had jumped back to assess the situation, but he still wasn't truly worried. That had changed when the Shinigami's sword had changed. Intrigued, he hadn't attacked, instead he waited to see what would happen, and he had paid for it when the Shinigami's sword burst in flames and he had sent the most powerful attack Ichigo had ever seen straight at him.

At first, when the Shinigami began to spin the sword, he wasn't worried. It looked like more of a defense than anything else, and a defense he could easily get around if he really wanted to. He hadn't expected the flaming disc to suddenly create a pillar of white-hot flames that moved so quickly he was barely able to react. He hadn't been able to dodge, so he'd done the next best thing.

He had covered his mask with his hands, and he had put all the Reiryoku he could muster into protecting himself from the attack. His skin may protect him from being cut, but it didn't stop him from getting burned.

It had been beyond horrible, the sensation of his skin peeling away, melting off his body, dripping off his limbs, revealing the much less resistant body beneath. His regenerative abilities had been overwhelmed as every part of his body came under attack simultaneously. His mask had been protected by his hands, but he had burned through all the Reiryoku he had been able to gather, and all that he had had within him trying to protect himself from being totally incinerated, and the subsequent regeneration had burned through any remaining reserve of power he had deep within him. He still had his physical abilities, but without the enhancement his body received from the immense power inside of him, his skin was maybe at a quarter strength, and he was weaker and slower than he could ever remember being. If the Shinigami had another attack like that in him, Ichigo would die.

Once more, the instinct for self-preservation overcame him, and he turned and ran, darting around a tree, making the Shinigami have to through the tree to get to him. Not for second did he think that the tree would stop the Shinigami if he was actually dedicated to pursuing him, but he hoped that the Shinigami wouldn't be in much better shape than he was, and would decline following him to tend to his own injuries.

Ashido watched the Hollow leave and breathed an enormous sigh of relief. If that Hollow had been able to keep fighting, he wouldn't have been able to do much to resist it. He stayed there for a second, gathering his strength, then used Shunpo as best his battered body could manage to get back to his cave before something like a Gillian showed up.

Ichigo grabbed another weak Hollow and devoured it, feeling still more of his strength return. It was a good thing that Ichigo was so much more powerful than any other ordinary Hollow to start with, since if he wasn't he'd either be dead or so weakened that he'd get devoured, not something that he wanted to have happen.

Pausing for a second to catch his breath, Ichigo felt the ground shudder underneath his feet. Turning quickly he barely managed to get out of the way as an enormous foot slammed down on the place he had been an instant before.

Ichigo looked up at the enormous Hollow, growling low in his throat. It was far larger than any Hollow he'd seen so far, it's size rivaling the trees that dotted the Menos Forest. It was covered in black robes, and it's face had a long, thin nose.

Ichigo angrily dashed toward it, landing on its foot, claws scrambling for purchase as he climbed higher. One hand came around to knock him off, but Ichigo grabbed hold of the appendage, running up the arm towards the mask. When he got to the shoulder, the other hand tried to grab him, but Ichigo again jumped on the hand to gain a little extra height, then jumped up, grabbing hold of the nose on the mask. Everywhere else the mask would have been too thick for him to take a bite out of, but the nose thinned out, so he chomped the very end of it off. Holding up his hand, he pumped power into his cero, blasting the Gillian's mask to pieces.

Ichigo fell down to the ground, his legs absorbing the shock of impact. Ichigo turned his head and watched disinterestedly as the Gillian dissolved.

The aching in his chest that had defined his existence up until now seemed to finally go away. Power was swelling up inside of him, more power than he could know what to do with.

A red aura appeared around him as he shot up in height. Black robed swirled out of nowhere to cover nearly his entire form. His feet became booted, and his mask changed. Instead of nine red lines on the left side, there were now ten lines on each side, all of them meeting in the middle.

The newly created Gillian felt the hunger return full force, and roared its challenge to the rest of the forest. It was feeding time.

In Soul Society, Sosuke Aizen was in the Central 46 chambers, having just given his latest order. Rukia Kuchiki was to be executed via Sokyoku. "What are you doing here, Gin?" He questioned without turning around

Gin's voice was unusually serious. "I got a report from the Adjuchas you put in charge of the Menos Forest. They say that about a week ago a new Hollow appeared and started to tear up the forest. Supposedly this Hollow has a near impenetrable hide, can already use a super-powered form of cero, and took out a Gillian while in its first Hollow form. It also fought the Shinigami stuck in the Menos Forest to a draw, even after he released his Zanpakuto. The Shinigami got away before they could get him. The Hollow is now a Gillian having devoured the one it defeated."

Now Aizen was interested. A regular Hollow that strong only came around maybe once in thousand years, and even that was only when an extremely powerful Shinigami was devoured. There had been no Shinigami Captains or Lieutenants devoured recently. It was evolving at an incredibly quick rate, becoming a Gillian in a week was almost unheard of. "Tell the Adjuchas to funnel the other Gillians toward this new one. I want him as an Adjuchas by the time I have the Hogyoku. He will make an excellent Arrancar."

Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Gotei 13, bowed and walked out of the Central 46 chamber, ignoring the bodies that surrounded him.

Aizen himself did look at the bodies and sighed. He really hadn't wanted to kill them, but he needed the information in the archives and since no Shinigami was allowed to enter formally with a Zanpakuto, he couldn't put them under Kyoka Suigetsu's (Mirror Flower Water Moon's) hypnosis, so he had to do things the blunt way. He turned back to the archives. He had to find out what else Kisuke Urahara was hiding.

The Gillian with the red stripes on its mask bit down into another Gillian, feeling the power rush into him. Turning, he saw even more Gillians lumbering towards him. The rest of the Hollows in his head made it hard to think, so he really didn't even try. All he knew was, if they were stupid enough to come close to him, he would make a meal out of them.

Kisuke Urahara had a throbbing headache. Orihime had been absolutely devastated at Ichigo's 'death'. Like with the Kurosaki daughters, a different story than what had actually happened had been told. Orihime hadn't said a thing after the first broken whisper. She was going to need watching, she now had powers but since they were tied to her will, she was in no shape to use them.

Chad and Uryu had taken it a bit differently. After they had left the shop, Uryu came in demanding to know what Urahara knew about Quincy. After getting him to admit that he had been the one who founded the Shinigami research and development department, Uryu had explained what he wanted to know.

Uryu had been training with the Sanrei glove, and had in fact mastered it, having started his training a few days before Ichigo had, claiming that he was sick for the final three days of school. Uryu knew the glove was extremely powerful, but he could also sense a limit. Which was what had brought him to Urahara, he wanted to find a way to take off the glove, granting him access to the vast amount of power he would get when he took it off, and keep his powers.

Questioning the reason why Uryu would want this, Urahara had been shocked to hear that he was doing it for Ichigo Kurosaki. Uryu's exact words had been-

"_Shinigami took my grandfather from me. I always hated them after that. When Ichigo became a Shinigami, I was furious. I challenged him to a duel to see who could better protect the town." He pushed his glasses up slightly, showing the Sanrei glove._

"_As I fought against and alongside him that day, I realized something. He wasn't like the rest of the Shinigami. He actually cared about the people he was trying to protect. He didn't care if the Quincy destroyed the Hollows or purified them, as long as they didn't harm the town. He was the only Shinigami I have ever seen worthy of respect." The boys voice dropped lower, coming out as a venomous hiss._

"_Then, more Shinigami came, and they murdered him. If they hadn't come, if they had just left Ichigo alone to protect the town, he'd still be alive." Uryu's eyes met Urahara's for the first time since he had started talking. "I'm going to Soul Society for two reasons. The first is to rescue the girl that Ichigo was trying to save. For me, that was his last wish. The second reason is revenge. Those scum murdered my grandfather, and the only decent Shinigami on the face of the earth, and I intend to make them pay."_

_Squaring his shoulders, his eyes burned into Urahara's. "That's why I need to be able to take off the glove and access that power. The Sanrei glove is strong, but the Shinigami killed many Quincy who had it, and I know it won't be enough. So I need to be able to tap into the power beyond the Sanrei glove."_

Urahara had thought about it hard. Aizen was getting close to attaining the Hogyoku, and once he did it would only be a matter of time before Soul Society was at war with Aizen and his Arrancar. In the upcoming war, a Quincy with the kind of power that taking off the glove would give Uryu access to would be a major advantage. However, it wouldn't do to have Uryu kill off too many of the Shinigami, or that would really not be good for the cause.

In the end, he had decided to compromise. Urahara would train Uryu to try and remove the glove, but had extracted a promise from the boy that he would not kill any Shinigami unless it was unavoidable. Uryu had agreed except with respect to the Shinigami that he felt were responsible for Ichigo's death. Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki. If he came across them, he would kill them.

Knowing that he wasn't really going to get anything better out of the boy, Urahara had told him to go practice using his inner Reiryoku with Tessai. When Uryu had demanded to know what that had to do with taking off the glove, Urahara had bluntly asked him whether he wanted help or not. Grumbling, Uryu had gone to do as the shop owner had told him.

A few hours of study later, he had what he wanted. The information on why Quincy lost their power when removing the Sanrei glove. It fit in perfectly with what he had thought.

For the last three days he had been training Uryu, leaving him with roughly four days left before he had to start opening the portal to the Soul Society. Uryu, however, was only part of the reason for his headache.

The other reason was Chad. He had come in the day after Uryu, wanting to know more about his power. He also had wanted to go to Soul Society, although his reason for going was solely to rescue Rukia, not for revenge. Chad didn't work like that.

Urahara was a scientist. He had never seen powers like Chad's before, so when the boy had come wanting training, the opportunity to see exactly how Chad's powers worked was just too much for him to resist.

He was watching the two of them fight now. Chad had both arms transformed, both of them black with red lines down the outside of the arm, white lines down the inside, and triangular blades that came out from just above the wrist to about halfway up the arms. Chad could use the blades that ran down the outside of his forearm effectively, although he wasn't devastating at it yet. What really intrigued Urahara was the fact that his powers acted more like a Hollow's than anything else. Chad probably wasn't ready for a revelation like that, though, so Urahara kept his thoughts on that matter to himself.

The large triangular extension that came up from Chad's right shoulder split down the middle, the area in-between glowing with Reiryoku. Knowing what was coming, Uryu used Hirenkyaku (Flying Screen Step) to get out of the way, sliding to the side just as the large blast of white Reiatsu tore through where he had been only a second ago. He brought the Sanrei glove up, bow extending, letting three quick shots fly. Chad brought his left arm up, the arrows bouncing off the transformed appendage.

The two of them had been at it for close to half an hour already, and showed no signs of slowing down. Yoruichi, in cat form, jumped down, settling down on her haunches next to Urahara. "They're doing well." Her comment brought nothing more than a grunt from Urahara. "What's on your mind, Kisuke?"

"I think I've figured out a way for Uryu to remove the glove and keep his powers." She said nothing so he continued. "Quincy lose their powers when they remove the glove because of the fundamental way the glove works. The reason they practice with it for seven days is to get accustomed to channeling the Reiryoku they are gathering through the glove, and the glove can, in fact channel a tremendous amount of Reiryoku. However, by doing this, their ability to draw in Reiryoku outpaces the body's ability to handle it. While the glove is still on, this isn't a problem, since the Reiryoku is being directed through the glove. Once the glove is taken off, though, they have the same concentration of power that was in the glove through their entire bodies." He turned to look at her.

"That means that everywhere in their bodies is the same concentration of power that the Sanrei glove could hold. That much power flooding into their bodies all at once fries their ability to manipulate Reiryoku. In order for a Quincy to safely remove the glove, he has to train every part of his body to take at least an equal amount of Reiryoku as the glove can provide. That kind of training would take decades ordinarily, hence the reason no Quincy ever actually got to do it."

"You said 'ordinarily', I take it that means you have another way to do it?"

"Yes. I think I can get Uryu ready for removing the glove in three days. But to do it, I'm going to need you to take Chad and train him. I can't train Chad if I want to get Uryu to permanent Quincy final form in three days."

Yoruichi laughed. "You seem to like taking things that ordinarily require decades and compressing them into three days."

Urahara gave her a lopsided grin. "I suppose I do. So, will you take Chad?"

"Alright, it seems like he needs to work on speed anyway. I'll see what I can do with him."

"You're a dear, Yoruichi." She gave him a flat look of pure disgust.

"Well, do you think I'm ready?" Uryu asked. Urahara nodded. The last three days he had put the Quincy boy through hell, and the boy had responded admirably.

The special 'three day training' that Urahara had come up with was quite simple in theory, but exceedingly difficult in execution. Quincy had a certain amount of innate spiritual power. They had to, or otherwise they wouldn't even be able to see spirits at all.

The 'training' had consisted of having Tessai teach Uryu how to channel his own spiritual power, while simultaneously having both himself and Urahara pour out a tremendous amount of Reiryoku, forcing the Quincy boy to handle as much as he possibly could. Here was the catch. He wasn't allowed to channel it through the Sanrei glove. Which meant he wasn't allowed to shoot arrows, since that now required the use of his glove. That meant he had to learn how to disperse it through his body to lessen the overload at any given point, then release it out of various other places on his body.

However, since he was a Quincy, this just meant he was putting more Reiryoku in the area immediately surrounding him, making him reabsorb and disperse the energy again. That, added to what Urahara and Tessai were giving out, constantly upped the amount of Reiryoku in the area, which forced him to constantly refine his control to keep his body from getting fried.

For two days they had continued like that, Uryu's body growing more and more resistant to the damage that the tremendous amount of reiryoku was causing to it. Once it had become obvious that he was slowing down, Urahara had started throwing reiryoku blasts from his sword, small ones of course, forcing Ishida to become even more proficient even more quickly. He couldn't take the hits directly, or try to absorb all of it, but by narrowly dodging and shaving the energy that it emitted off of the attacks, he use at least some of his enemy's power against them.

Now, three days later, only one day left before he would make the portal to the Soul Society, Uryu was about ready to remove his glove, and attempt to become the first Quincy ever to have permanent final form.

Uryu channeled Reiryoku to the glove for the first time in three days, and was surprised to find that it didn't feel much different than channeling Reiryoku to any other part of his body. He took a deep breath, preparing himself. Then he brought his left hand up and broke the horizontal spike coming out of the gloves wrist. The glove broke apart as Uryu was engulfed in a pillar of blue-white light.

The Reiatsu tore up the ground, cast an illuminating glow all across the training ground, and battered at the senses of the spiritually aware. When the light died down, Uryu's white Quincy outfit was completely changed. Armor now covered his left shoulder, and his cape was longer. A blue-white wing composed entirely of reiryoku came off of his right shoulder-blade, storing the excess power like a quiver would.

The bow was different too. Instead of the original bow of blue Reiatsu, or the bow that the Sanrei glove made, this bow was jagged and metallic, had two protrusions that went over Uryu's hand, and looked a great deal more badass.

"How are you feeling." Urahara questioned.

"A little strained, but it's bearable. The training really paid off."

Chad pulled his arm back, feeling the charge build up again and thrust his fist forward, letting the eRiryoku flow through his arm and out his fist in a blast of white energy. Yoruichi dodged yet again, letting her tail lag along behind her to let him know that she still wasn't really taking this seriously. He made ready to continue.

"That's enough for today." the surprisingly deep voice rumbled out of the cat's tiny body. "You're exhausted. Go get some sleep." Chad nodded and walked out. Never one for a lot of words, she mused.

Yoruichi was no Urahara. She wasn't a scientist, mysteries didn't endlessly confound her in the middle of the night, but she was observant, and she could see that Chad's power was most like a Hollow. Ichigo's immense and uncontrolled Reiatsu had constantly leaked out into the area around him, and since he and Chad had been best friends, they had spent a great deal of time around each other. That had led to Chad's body adapting to the Reiatsu by developing powers of his own. Powers that almost exactly mimicked a Hollow's.

The ability to transform your own body was a Hollow trait. The blast he used was little more than a rudimentary version of cero. It would have been funny if it wasn't so appalling. Ichigo's Reiatsu had turned a human into a half Hollow. Chad had the powers, just not the mask. Or the hole in his chest.

She watched him leave thoughtfully. The main question in her mind was _'Is this all there is, or will he keep transforming various body parts, gaining various abilities until his entire body transforms? And if that's the case, will he still retain his human mind when he does transform?' _It hadn't been urgent at first but the more time she was around Chad, the more she realized just how unpredictable and potentially dangerous his power was. She needed to talk to Kisuke. Immediately.

Chad and Uryu stood before the gate that would take them to the Soul Society. Everything that could be taken care of had been. It had now been two weeks since Ichigo's 'death'. The two of them, Kisuke, Jinta, Ururu and even Yoruichi in cat form had attended the funeral. It had been a solemn affair, punctuated by the fact that Yuzu hadn't been able to stop crying. His coffin had been placed beside his mother following an open-casket funeral, allowing everyone to see his soulless body.

Ichigo's 'spiritually aware' friends weren't deceived by the cover story that he had died by heart attack, but his other friends, Keigo, Mizuiru, and Tatsuki had been totally suckered by the story. Tatsuki was crying, and Keigo and Mizuiru looked like they wanted to.

All of Ichigo's friends, be they spiritually aware or not, had all been crushed by his death, and each one went up to the coffin to put a few flowers or some kind of offering on the coffin. Tatsuki had left a pair of fighting gloves, and Keigo had left one of his porn magazines, claiming that Ichigo needed it since he hadn't been able to get laid in life. No one had even thought about criticizing him for his pervertedness, it was obvious that he was absolutely sincere.

Kisuke had been the most disturbed of everyone at the funeral. He, along with Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, and Isshin were the only ones that knew that Ichigo was in fact a hollow. And of those, only he and Tessai knew how truly powerful and deadly his hollow was.

"Alright, we can only hold the gate open for four minutes. You have to get through the gate into the Soul Society in that time-span. This gate is equipped with a soul-particle conversion machine, which will change you into spirit form, allowing you to enter Soul Society. Are there any questions?" When there were none, Kisuke Urahara opened the gate, violet entrance swirling and watched as the two humans and one cat disappeared through it. Holding his hand out, he encountered a barrier. He dropped his hand, sadness visible in his green eyes.

A white, catlike being with a Hollow mask and teal eyes burst down out of the roof of sand that covered the Menos Forest. The pickings on the surface had gotten rather slim lately and rather that run around looking for Hollows to eat, he decided to come down here where food was in abundance. Granted, the Gillians weren't as filling as the Adjuchas he'd been eating lately, but they'd do for now. Spotting a large group of them, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques grabbed onto one of the trees with his claws, then used his powerful legs to rocket himself towards the Gillians, grinning at the feast that was about to come.

Ichigo ripped a large bite out of yet another Gillian, again feeling the power wash into him. He'd been feeding on these Gillians for nearly a week straight now, and more just kept coming. It was like they had a death wish or something. Well, he wasn't complaining. As he tore through three more Gillians, he spotted a disturbance on the other side of the group, and four Gillians disappeared in the blink of an eye.

An enraged howl broke out of Ichigo's mask. These Gillians were _his_ prey, damnit, and anybody who ate them was going to pay. After he ate the rest of them. More Gillians on the other side were disappearing, and in Ichigo's muddled thought process, that meant that he should eat the ones around him faster before they were all gone. He applied himself to that with a vengeance, moving faster than he had since he'd become a Gillian. Gillian after Gillian went down, each one bringing Ichigo closer to his evolution to Adjuchas.

Three Adjuchas class Menos stood just outside of Ichigo's sensory range. Unknown to him, they were the ones who were providing him with the constant Gillian buffet.

"Damn." One of them groused "How many Gillians does he have to devour before he turns into an Adjuchas?"

"Quite a lot." Another one stated. "Don't forget, it takes most of us a couple of decades to go from Gillian to Adjuchas. Even devouring all those Gillians, it's still a lot of Hollows to eat. He should be getting close, though."

It required a certain amount of Hollows to be devoured before one could transform into a Gillian or Adjuchas. Gillian was a thousand, there was no question about that, but no one knew how many was required for a Gillian to evolve into an Adjuchas. The one thing everyone did know was that it was a LOT. There had been a former Espada named Aaroniero Arruruerie, who had been comprised of 33,650 Hollows, and he was still only a Gillian. There'd been a rumor that he had the power to totally fuse with another spiritual being and take their power as his own. He'd met his end when he tried to tackle a Vasto Lorde, and he'd been killed almost before he knew what was going on.

That was why Gillians and Adjuchas tended to prey more on their own kind than lesser Hollows. If a Hollow ate one Hollow, he gained just that, one Hollow. However, if a Hollow ate a Gillian, he gained a thousand Hollows. And if he ate an Adjuchas, then he gained all the Hollows that Adjuchas had previously devoured. With all the Gillians they'd been sending this guy, he had to be close.

"Quiet, you two. Someone else is here." They could clearly hear the third member of their group snarl under the mask. "Grimmjow."

Grimmjow, having taken the edge off of his hunger, and beaten those annoying voices of all the Hollows he'd devoured into the back of his head, was content to just sit back and watch as one Gillian with the distinctively different mask tore the others apart. He watched as it tore into another Gillian, making the stricken Gillian wail its anguish to the rest of the uncaring mob. It turned towards another Gillian, then suddenly stopped. Grimmjow tensed as the Gillians Reiatsu began to skyrocket, and a glow appeared around it. The panther-like Adjuchas relaxed. "A new Adjuchas. This could be interesting."

Grimmjow watched as the Gillian shrank into its new Adjuchas form. He secretly hoped that it wouldn't be one of those oversized buffoons like the ones that followed him around. Grimmjow liked being smaller than all the other Adjuchas. It gave him a speed advantage, not that his power was lacking in the slightest. He could use someone who'd give him a good fight, someone who could challenge him. After all, what was the point of being the king if there was nobody to challenge you for dominance?

As he watched the Gillian continued to transform, it's shape growing smaller and smaller. When it was only a fraction of what it had been, it stopped shrinking. Grimmjow looked on intently. This guy actually wasn't too much larger than he was, about ten feet tall. He saw the shape become clearly defined, and he had to admit, he was impressed. Visually at least.

The new Adjuchas had a mask that looked like a skull with two horns coming out of the side that curved inwards, pointing forward. There were red markings over the eyes that ran down to the chin. The Hollow itself was white, with red markings around the Hollow hole, and there were more red markings down the arms. The hands and feet were clawed, and a long, thin tail with a stingray-like barb on the end swayed around behind him. A spine stuck straight up out of each shoulder. Grimmjow was about to go down when three other Adjuchas appeared from the retreating Gillians. He recognized all three of them, weak Adjuchas who were put down here managing the forest cause they were too pathetic to do anything else. He held back, wanting to see what would happen.

Ichigo felt better than he had in a long time. The voices in his head had receded, making it far easier to think, and his power…

It was incredible. There was no other word for it. It felt like he could take on the world and come out standing. Brown eyes stared out from behind the mask as he brought his hands up, admiring the powerful claws and tough skin. He began to move, getting used to his new body when a voice called out to him.

"Hey, newbie, are you done checking yourself out yet?" Ichigo whirled, taking in the retreating backs of the Gillians, and the three Hollows facing him. Irritated at being interrupted, he responded in a manner guaranteed to piss them off.

"Go fuck yourself." As the three of them stood stock still, minds processing the insult, Ichigo, wanting to test his new body, attacked.

Tilting his head, the newly formed Adjuchas poured his Reiryoku into the ball that was forming between his horns. "Cero" His voice, slightly higher pitched than when he was a human, gave them just enough warming to dodge the stream of red-tinged white energy that came pouring out of between his horns. Unfortunately for them, he didn't give any voice to the one that was fired from his fingers, aimed at where they had jumped to. Two of them saw it coming out of the corner of their eyes and dodged. The third never knew what hit him.

The cero tore into the Adjuchas, vaporizing the lower part of his body, legs and abdomen disintegrating under the onslaught. Ichigo moved, covering the distance between them before the torso had a chance to fall to the ground. Holding his enemy by the head, to took a bite out of its shoulder, and crushed its mask in his hands.

Ichigo felt the warmth that always accompanied the devouring of another Hollow, but this was so much more intense than anything he'd ever had before. The voices in his head became nonexistent, he couldn't even hear them anymore. Eyes turning yellow with delight, he attacked the other two, tail waving behind him and claws outstretched.

Ichigo pounced on the first one before he was even aware that Ichigo had moved, and he suffered painful death as Ichigo bit deep into its shoulder, tearing off a chunk of it as his hands locked under its chin and yanked its head clear off its neck, blood spraying from the wound.

The second one was quicker and tried to attack Ichigo while he was still on top of the first one. He barely knew what hit him as Ichigo's tail whipped around, the barb extending outwards, glowing red with Reiryoku as its two foot length penetrated the mask. Not letting the Adjuchas just die, he pounced on it and tore a chunk out of its back. Just like that, the battle was over. Three Adjuchas fell to Ichigo, and their power was now his.

Grimmjow's eyes were bright behind his mask, and all his teeth were bared in a feral grin that went from ear to ear. The kid was good, taking down three Adjuchas in a matter of seconds. Leaping down, he landed in a crouch. The new Adjuchas turned to face him, but Grimmjow had already uncoiled like a spring, whole body focused on thrashing the new guy.

It was for his own good, of course. It wouldn't do for the kid to get a big head. Grimmjow was already most of the way there by the time the kid could see him, and he was confident that the other Hollow couldn't move fast enough to counter him. So it came as a complete surprise when one arm came up and a clawed hand caught him in the stomach, just in front of his Hollow hole. The breath whooshed out of him, but Grimmjow Jeagerjaques wasn't taken down that easily.

Using the momentum gained from the strike, he went over the other Hollow's head, claws catching on one of the horns, tearing it off. It wasn't a fatal blow, his claws not having penetrated to the face beneath the mask, but Grimmjow was confident that it would prevent the new Adjuchas from pulling that cero from between his horns. However, before he'd even completely passed over the kid, a new horn grew out of the mask. Grimmjow gaped. _'Great. A regenerator.'_ He wasn't given time to enjoy the view, because the two foot spike extended out of the tail, glowing with red Reiryoku and ready to run him through. Using his extreme agility, Grimmjow pushed with his hind legs off the side of his opponent's head. As he landed, he could feel his opponent begin to gather his Reiryoku.

Turning around he saw the other Adjuchas' horns again glowing with red light and a ball of concentrated Reiryoku just ahead of them. Grimmjow leapt to the side as the beam of Reiryoku blasted through where he was just an instant before. Before the beam had even faded away, Grimmjow was on the attack, his claws digging into his opponents shoulder. Or at least he thought so.

His claws may as well have hit a Vasto Lorde for all that he penetrated in. By which it meant he hadn't. Before Grimmjow could recover from his shock, the other Hollow grabbed both of his front paws in one hand and slammed him into the ground, then spun and hurled him with tremendous force towards a tree. Grimmjow twisted like the cat he was and landed against the tree feet first, his legs bending deeply to absorb the shock.

Grimmjow let himself fall lightly to the ground and for a moment just stood there. Then he began to chuckle, which soon turned into full blown laughter. "You're good, kid. You're really good. It's been a long time since I had a good fight. I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Thanks. What's your name?"

Ichigo was confused. First this Adjuchas attacks him, then he thanks him for a good fight, and now he's asking him his name? Warily he responded.

"Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." The panther in front of him nodded and introduced himself.

"Grimmjow. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques." The panther regarded him for a moment before speaking again. "Well, Ichigo, you seem to be pretty new to being an Adjuchas. Come with me. I'll tell you everything you need to know, and I'll show you the world above that ceiling." The panther turned around and began to walk, not even bothering to look back. Ichigo, after a brief internal war, decided to follow him. He wasn't attacking anymore, and Ichigo wasn't really feeling hungry after devouring those other three Adjuchas.

After they had walked for a while, passing nothing more interesting than trees, the white panther began to speak again. "That's a pretty wicked cero you got there. Most Adjuchas lose the ability to use cero when they evolve up from Gillian." Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, Grimmjow continued. "As you've probably noticed, lots of things change when you evolve from Gillian to Adjuchas. Listen up, cause I'm only gonna say this once."

"As an Adjuchas, you have to keep devouring other Hollows, otherwise the Hollows that you've already devoured will overcome your mind, and you'll revert back into a Gillian, and this time, you'll lose your sense of identity, and just become another faceless Gillian. You also get smarter when you become an Adjuchas, but you could probably already tell that." The panther grew solemn, in contrast to its usual sarcastic tone.

"There is one step higher on the Hollow evolution chain than Adjuchas. Vasto Lorde. The most powerful Hollows in all of Hueco Mundo. That's what we're trying to become. Me and the group that follows me around. You want in?" Brief and to the point. Ichigo chose quickly.

"Of course I'm in. More power? Who could say no to that?" Grimmjow growled his agreement, and Ichigo had a sudden feeling that him and Grimmjow were going to get along just fine.

"Hey, Grimmjow, nice of you to bring us back a snack." Edorad Leones called out gleefully.

Ichigo was about to respond with heat when Grimmjow cut him off. "This guy's nobody's snack. If anything, you'd be his. He took down three Adjuchas in the forest down below without even breaking a sweat. I'd put him at only slightly below me."

Ichigo glared at Grimmjow, who ignored him. "Ichigo's gonna be traveling with us for awhile. Anybody got any problems with that?" Grimmjow nodded to Ichigo.

Before Grimmjow had introduced him to the rest of them, he'd told Ichigo that he, being a newcomer, would have to earn his place in the group. If anybody challenged him, take them down, but don't kill them, that kind of defeated the purpose of forming the group in the first place.

"Eh, I don't know." Di Roy began doubtfully. "He doesn't look like-" He broke off when Ichigo disappeared. A weight on top of his head alerted him to where Ichigo was, but before he could move, a tail waved in front of him, the spike pointed directly at his face.

"Go on, you were saying something." Ichigo told him. The tail gave a short thrust forward, and Di Roy got the message loud and clear. If he gave the wrong answer, Ichigo was going to kill him. He didn't know that Grimmjow had forbid Ichigo from killing any of them, so to him, the threat was very real.

"Grimmjow killed off the two members we used to have, so with him and you here that brings us up to our original number. It's great to have a new comrade." Di Roy said, seriously hoping that his response would be enough to mollify the other Adjuchas.

Ichigo smirked under his mask. "It's nice to join."

The slightly expanded group resumed their travels across the sand, searching for more Adjuchas, as each meal would bring them closer to becoming Vasto Lorde.

In the Seireitei, an alarm was sounding, and Shinigami were scrambling to get into position.

"Alert, Alert, this is a Red Alert. Intruders detected in west Rukongai. This is not a drill. Red Alert."

Having been trying to relax, Renji Abarai sat up with a scowl on his face. "What the hell is going on?"

All the squads were moving to their assigned stations, and with the typical ineptitude of bureaucracy, the squads were not assigned to the area that they generally patrolled, which meant that the squads were scrambling over each other trying to get to where they were supposed to be.

Ikkaku Madarame, the Third Seat of the Eleventh Squad angrily pushed aside a Seventh Squad member who got in his way. Most people who saw the Third Seat's furious look assumed that he was angry about being interrupted in whatever he had been doing to answer the alert. In actuality, he was angry because there were so many people in his way.

His squad was assigned to the western wall, and the longer he took getting there, the more likely it was that they would start fighting without him being there. And that, in his mind, was completely unacceptable.

Uryu and Chad ran through the rapidly collapsing passageway, Yoruichi running ahead of them. The two of them had sparred with each other over the seven days that it had taken Urahara to open the gate to Soul Society, and had quickly struck up a friendship and healthy respect for the other's power.

Uryu found Chad to be a quiet person, much like himself, for which he was grateful, as well as a powerhouse with unshakeable loyalty. Uryu had learned Chad's reason for coming and he had to admit that it was a much nobler reason than his own.

Chad was coming because of a promise he and Ichigo had made to each other. The gist of it was, if there was ever anything so precious to one of them that he would protect it with his life, the other one would protect it with his life as well. Even after Ichigo was dead, Chad was still holding himself to that promise, and Uryu admired his strength of character.

Chad found Uryu to be a man who liked silence, much like he himself did. That made it easy to be around him. The Quincy did have a bit of a temper, but he was highly perceptive, and absolutely dedicated to protecting Karakura town from Hollows. And that, in Chad's book, made him an alright person.

"Hey, I don't mean to bother you while you're running but…there's something coming up behind us!" Just as Uryu shouted that out, a large light appeared out of the purple goo behind them, and a massive cylindrical object burst into view. "What the hell is that?"

"It's the Cleaner!" Yoruichi shouted. "It comes through here once a week to clean up. And it's just our bad luck that today is the day!" Chad and Uryu tried to pick up the pace, but the cleaner was just coming up too fast.

'_We're not gonna make it!'_ Uryu thought.

As if in response to that thought, Yoruichi called out to them. "Don't look back, just concentrate your efforts on running. We're almost there. Uryu looked ahead and, sure enough, there was a doorway shining with light ahead of them. He looked back. The Cleaner was almost on them.

Making a split-second decision, Uryu slowed just enough to let Chad get ahead of him. He knew he wasn't strong enough to carry Chad, but for what he had in mind, he didn't need to be. Putting his hands against Chads back, he gathered all the Reiryoku he could from around them. Not bothering to call off the name, he put everything he could into the Hirenkyaku.

Chad shot forward, Uryu right behind him as they rode the current of Reishi to the door, getting there just ahead of the Cleaner. As they passed through the doorway, the world became a bright white light and Uryu felt himself falling. Colliding hard with the ground, he rolled with it to reduce the impact. Rubbing his head and groaning, Uryu pushed himself to his feet. Straightening his glasses, he looked around to see wooden huts and open vendors, and he was on a dusty street. The only thought that went through his mind was _'Where the hell are we?'_


	2. Arrival

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Uryu Ishida wasn't sure exactly what he had expected to see in Soul Society, but whatever it was, he knew that what he was looking at was not it.

The scene in front of him was something that he would expect to see in a typical town a few hundred years ago. Bare wooden houses, open markets that were shaded by cloth awnings, clay jars that held merchandise, hard-packed dirt roads. He felt like he was back in the eighteen hundreds.

"Where are we? Is this really Soul Society?"

"Yes." Yoruichi's voice answered him. "And the specific area we're in is called the Rukongai. It's on the perimeter of the Seireitei, where the Shinigami live. It's the poorest section, but also the one with the greatest freedom, and has the largest population of souls within the soul society. It's where souls come to live when they first enter Soul Society."

"In that case, where is everybody?"

Yoruichi again answered Uryu's question. "Souls who come to the Soul Society illegally, without a Shinigami escort, are called Ryoka, and are said to be the root cause of all kinds of trouble. The people are most likely hiding from us."

"So where is the Seireitei. If we're going to look for Rukia, it seems like that's where we should start." Chad spoke up for the first time since they had arrived.

"Don't worry about that for now. If we try to get in directly, we'll have to deal with the gatekeeper, and however many Shinigami decide to come check out what's going on."

"Do you think we can't handle a gatekeeper?" Uryu questioned.

"No, you could probably handle Jidanbo, but there's always the chance that one of the Captains could show up, and then the two of you working together wouldn't be able to win." Uryu frowned, he thought that his Final Form could probably handle a Captain if it really came down to it, but he decided not to press the issue.

"So if we can't go through the gate, how do we get in?" Chad asked, ever practical.

"There's a way, we just have to find a certain person."

"Hey, what's that area over there? The buildings all look different." Uryu had just noticed the expanse of space where the buildings looked different, and the ground wasn't dirt.

"That is the Seireitei."

"I don't see any guards on the gate." Uryu frowned. "I don't even see a gate."

Yoruichi sighed. She could already tell that Uryu wasn't going to just take her word on it, he actually had to see that he couldn't get through the gate. "Alright, go up there." Uryu didn't need any more encouragement.

To his credit, though, he was cautious, the blue-white wing of Reiryoku materializing from his right shoulder, and the bow materializing in his hands. He got to within twenty feet of the dividing line on the ground.

Nothing happened. He took a couple of steps closer. Still nothing happened. He was within ten steps of the line now. Still nothing happened. Gaining confidence, he took a few more steps forward.

A low whistling sound started just as he got within three feet of the line. He stopped and looked around, wondering where it was coming from. A shadow blocking the sun gave him the clue. Whipping his head upwards he saw a line of huge stone blocks descending rapidly down onto him. Spitting curses he leaped backwards, making a small current of Rieryoku under his feet to aid him in his retreat.

A huge cloud of dust and fragments of rock sprayed out, engulfing the surrounding area. Uryu brought his arm up to cover his face, Chad and Yoruichi were farther away and didn't need to take such protective measures.

"Well, well. It's been a long time since anyone attempted to enter the gate without a travel permit. And I don't get many visitors these days. So welcome to you, little man." Uryu looked up at the giant standing before him. Like any good Quincy, he began to analyze.

The…being that stood before him was close to six times his own height, with proportionally larger bone and muscle structure. He wore the Shinigami robes, one arm and part of his chest revealed. His left arm was covered by overlapping metal plates, and an axe was gripped in his right hand.

"This is the Hakudo gate, one of the-" An arrow, made of so much compressed Reiryoku that it became solid, cut the giant off as it connected with the broad side of his axe, releasing all the energy in the arrow in one burst. The result was explosive.

Uryu's arrow penetrated halfway through the axe before releasing the compressed Reiryoku in one burst, shattering the axe, and sending shards of metal flying out. "I don't like chatting during fighting." Uryu stated, his left hand still in the position it was when he released the arrow, the wing of Reiryoku still extending from his right shoulder-blade.

Jidanbo just looked down at the destroyed blade of his axe, eyes brimming with tears. The axe had been with him since he had been an orphan in the Rukongai, and had served him through all of his battles, never once even getting chipped. To have them destroyed so easily was a huge blow to his psyche.

"W-Why? Why did you destroy my beautiful axe? I WAS JUST DOING MY JOB!" The giant's rant was cut by Uryu pointing his bow, arrow fitted, at his heart.

"Just open the gate." Uryu's voice was like ice.

Just taking one look at the Quincy convinced Jidanbo that doing anything other than what he was told was a very bad idea. He had another axe, but the ease with which Uryu had disposed of the first one convinced him that it wouldn't make any difference bringing it out. Grunting, he turned to do as he was told.

"That was quite the display, Uryu." Yoruichi commented as she strolled up beside him. "But don't you think you were a little excessive?"

"Not at all. If the Shinigami give me a reputation of being ruthless, they'll be more likely to just get out of my way. Urahara made me promise not to kill any of them if I could avoid it. Probably something to do with him being one of them at some point."

"So you hate Shinigami." It wasn't a question.

"I hate Shinigami as a matter of principal for my being a Quincy. I hate Shinigami personally for killing one of the only two decent Shinigami that have ever existed." He turned away slightly, adjusting his glasses. "Ichigo was a better person than every Shinigami in history combined."

'_I was hoping it wasn't this bad. With the way things stand right now, he won't be willing to work with Soul Society even when Aizen's plans come into full view. His hatred of Shinigami borders on holy in its mindless ferocity. I have to find some way to tone that down, or else even with all the power that he's gained, he'll be a liability in the fight against Aizen, working across the Shinigami rather than with them. Even with the promise that Kisuke extracted from him, I wouldn't put it beneath him to destroy a few Shinigami's spiritual power just for kicks. And with the war coming, that's not something we can afford, especially if he decides to target a Lieutenant. I don't think he can take a Captain, even with the final form, but if he takes out a captain, that would be a big blow. Of course, if he runs across Gin Ichimaru, I wouldn't shed any tears. And it would throw a wrench into Aizen's plans. Still, I have to get that hatred of his down to the point that he'll at least work with Shinigami, even if he hates them.'_

"Alright" The giant said as he positioned himself in front of the gate. "I don't know why you seem so determined to enter, or why you seem to hate Shinigami so much, but the people you will meet on the other side of this wall are all very strong."

"I'm aware of that." If anything, Uryu's voice was getting even more flinty.

Jidanbo shrugged. "As long as you think you know what you're getting into. Now stand back."

With that the giant dug both hands under the gate, and proved very quickly that his size wasn't just for show. With a grunt and a prolonged heave, the gate rose enough for Jidanbo to get his shoulders under it. Then it became easier, as his powerful legs pushed him and the gate up, the massive stone structure held close to twenty-five feet in the air.

"Powerful." Chad was rarely impressed by feats of strength, but he had to admit, this giant was strong. However…

He seemed oddly frozen, and Chad knew that with his legs being half bent, Jidanbo simply couldn't be comfortable. Peering around the giant, he saw only a vague shape. A vague _human _shape. One that wore an outer white robe over the standard shinigami attire.

Yoruichi cursed like a sailor inside her mind. _'Of course it's him. Out of every seated officer in the Seireitei, it has to be __him_. _Why are we having such shitty luck today?'_

The being that she was currently cursing to the nine levels of hell had silver hair, eyes drawn into slits, and a perpetual grin on his face. His white outer robe had no sleeves, and his Zanpakuto was the second shortest in all of Soul Society, next to Iba Tetsuzaimon's. The 'S' shaped guard was just the icing on the cake, showing what a snake in the grass he was.

She was staring at the one and only Gin Ichimaru, Captain of Squad Three.

"Well, this isn't a very good sign, now is it, Jidanbo?" His relaxed, mocking voice sent shivers up the spines of everyone present. "After all, a gatekeeper isn't supposed to open the gate now is he?" Faster than Chad and Jidanbo could see a gash opened up in Jidanbo's arm. To the pair of them, they just saw a brief flash of white. Yoruichi and Uryu had clearly seen the captain's blade extend to deal the wound.

'_So, that's his blade's ability, is it? It can extend to hit whatever he wants it to hit. That explains why he keeps it so short. It's a lot easier to aim a shorter weapon at someone than a longer one. But if he wants a ranged fight, he's going to quickly find that he's outclassed.'_

Ignoring the blood pouring out of Jidanbo's arm right beside him, Uryu let the power of the Quincy final form flare up again, having let it drop after Jidanbo had capitulated. In less than a second he had his bow up, already notched with an arrow formed of solid Reiryoku pointed right at the Shinigami's heart. It seemed like these Shinigami were determined to make him hate them. Attacking a man who couldn't defend himself was worse than cowardice, in Uryu's opinion.

"You sure are a funny kid. Aren't you scared of me?" The mans voice seemed to drip arrogance.

"I find nothing to be afraid of in a man who only attacks people who can't defend themselves." Before he was finished speaking he let an arrow fly. The tall, skinny Shinigami moved his body slightly to the left, letting the arrow pass right by him. Only to have a follow up in the face. He disappeared right before the arrow hit him.

'_Huh, wasn't expecting to have to use Shunpo to dodge the little bastard's attacks.'_ Ichimaru thought. His grin grew wider as he felt the Quincy waiting for him where he was headed. _'Kid's good. Too bad it won't make a difference.' _Ichimaru reappeared, Uryu behind him with an arrow pointed at his head. However, Ichimaru had reversed his grip on Shinso, and the tip of Ichimaru's Zanpakuto was now nudging the bottom of Uryu's rib cage, pointing upwards. Both of them stood there for a second, neither one moving.

"Now, what's the use of doing that?" Ichimaru drawled. "Reinforcements are going to be coming anytime now, you know that, right? And if you intended to kill me you wouldn't just stand there with that bow pointed at me." Uryu gritted his teeth because he knew the fox-faced bastard was right. He was bound by that damned promise Urahara had extracted out of him in exchange for his help. And he could feel several powerful beings approaching the gate.

"Uryu!" Yoruichi called out. "Get back here. It's better that we retreat, for now. There's another way in, but we won't live long enough to use it if you get into a fight with every Captain in Soul Society.

Angry because of the promise he'd made, angry because he knew the cat was right, and he was especially angry that this damned Shinigami seemed to be mocking him. Using Hirenkyaku, he got out of there before he lost control of himself. It didn't help that the bastard was waving at him as he retreated. Waving!

"Jidanbo, let the gate fall!" Yoruichi called out. Only too happy to comply, holding a gate like that up with only one arm was not fun, Jidanbo ducked a little and moved back, letting the gate fall. Before the reinforcements from Soul Society could see who was on the other side, the gate slammed into the ground.

"That went well." Yoruichi commented.

"Fucking Urahara, if I hadn't made that damned promise I would have killed that fox-faced bastard right there."

Before she even realized what she was saying, Yoruichi responded. "It might have been better if you had." She realized her mistake when both Uryu and Chad looked at her in astonishment.

"What do you mean, Yoruichi?"

'_Oh, shit, me and my big mouth.'_

Uryu's eyes narrowed at her from behind his glasses. "What do you mean 'it might have been better if you had'? I was under the impression that you agreed with Urahara about not taking the lives of Shinigami needlessly. What makes you say it would be better if I had killed that one?"

Yoruichi sighed, it looked like there was no way of getting around it. Uryu had just as much of a one-track mind as Ichigo had at times. "I'll tell you later. First, we have to get Jidanbo taken care of." Realizing that she was right, Uryu turned to tend to Jidanbo.

Even before training with the Sanrei glove, Uryu had experimented on a medical technique that would allow him to use a needle made of Reiryoku and the strings from the Ransotengai to sew a wound shut, even in the absence of any medical facilities or equipment. He could sew up the would, and then as it was healing, their bodies would release the Reiryoku no longer needed to keep the wound closed. A rather ingenious technique, Uryu thought. After all, his father was a doctor.

As he was working, he began to hear voices whispering. Trusting Chad and Yoruichi to give him a heads-up should anything happen, he continued to work, hands skilled from years of sewing up puppets, and knowing anatomy due to many lessons by his father.

What he didn't see, due to being so wrapped up in his work, was the crowd of people that had gathered into the formerly empty streets. Chad hadn't transformed his arms yet, but he was close as all the people kept coming closer. Taking a step back, he tensed, ready to defend Uryu and himself.

"Please, there is no need for violence. Allow me to introduce myself." An elderly man shuffled his way forward through the crowd. With a bow he continued. "I am the elder of this area, which is called the Rukongai. We all witnessed the events that just occurred. And we would all like to welcome you."

"Captain Ichimaru! What happened?" Kira Izuru ran up to his Captain, single visible eye radiating concern.

"Ah, nothing. A couple of Ryoka tried to get through the gate. One of them was better than I expected and they managed to get away." Ichimaru's voice retained its carefree tone, but inside he was worrying. _'That cat was Yoruichi Shihouin. I'm sure of it. What's she doing back after all this time? And why was she helping the Ryoka? Aizen will want to know about this, I'm sure.'_

"Keep somebody near the other gates at all times, Izuru. We wouldn't want those criminal Ryoka to come back and try this again." His Lieutenant nodded and ran off to make the arrangements. Ichimaru watched him leave, eyes in the perpetual slits glittering with amusement. _'So loyal and easy to command. If I told him to attack Captain Commander Yamamoto, he'd probably do it. It is so easy to manipulate someone who admires you.'_

"Hey, Grimmjow." The panther's acknowledgement was to shift his eyes toward the other Adjuchas, not bothering to pick his head up from where it was lying on his paws.

The Adjuchas that formed their little group were resting under the light of the moon after a hard days work. They had managed to find four Adjuchas that they had ripped to shreds, the eight sharing the body of the Adjuchas, pulling it apart so they could feast. Ichigo and Grimmjow had been the ones to actually perform the takedown on two of them, the ever-present voices in their heads disappearing as they feasted.

They were resting, but not sleeping. No Hollow slept. The regular Hollows were afraid that someone would come along and devour them if they slept, Gillians and up couldn't sleep, because if they relaxed their minds enough to go to sleep, the Hollows that they'd devoured would overcome their weakened minds, causing them to revert, or, if they were already a Gillian, to lose their individuality. So no one slept. For regular Hollows, it was basically a death sentence, for any type of Menos Grande, it was sanity suicide.

Ichigo hesitated, not really knowing how to put into words the question that he wanted to ask. "Do you remember anything about when you were alive, before you became a Hollow?"

"No. Never really cared. This is my life now. To be the strongest. To be the king. Why would I care about something I can't go back to?" Typical Grimmjow response.

"You're right. Why care about what we can't go back to. Not that we could go back even if we wanted to. Fucking Shinigami." All the Adjuchas had heard stories about them. How they would assault Hueco Mundo on occasion, attacking Hollows that had never even been to the world of the living, shoving swords through their faces claiming that they were 'purifying their souls' letting them go to the 'paradise' that the Shinigami lived in. Never mind that they were shoving their swords into beings that had never harmed them, beings that had stayed in Hueco Mundo their entire existences.

They hated them. All Hollows hated Shinigami. Beings who hunted them down for no other reason than they were different. They claimed that Hollows were killing innocent people, but honestly, who did they think they were kidding?

How many animals did a single human consume in his lifetime? How many creatures died that just one human could live out his natural lifespan? More than anyone could count. Yet there was nothing immoral or evil about that.

Did anyone think it evil when the housecat killed and ate a rat? Did anyone think it evil when a wolf ran down and killed a deer? No. They were doing it to survive, the same as Hollows.

The Shinigami hadn't seen what happened to a Hollow that starved to death. Their own hole gaped ever wider until they were swallowed by the emptiness inside of them, which not just killed them, but erased them while they screamed in utter agony. Hollows ate to survive, and yet the Shinigami murdered them for no other reason than living. The hypocrisy was sickening.

"What brought that up?" Grimmjow asked, his blue eyes intent.

"Back when I was a regular Hollow, I kept having these flashes of memory. Not enough that I can make any sense out of it, but images. A woman dead underneath me. A man stabbing me with a sword. Another man cutting my shoulders. A girl kicking me in the face. A man throwing me down a hole. They're not long enough for me to make anything out of them."

"Sounds to me like your life got better once you became a Hollow."

"Yeah, it sure sounds that way, doesn't it." Ichigo looked up at the sky. He was sure that Shinigami couldn't even imagine a scene like this. Eight Hollows just lounging around, resting after a hard day.

"You shouldn't worry about the past. It'll only interfere in getting stronger. You need to rest. We start moving again in a few hours."

Toshiro Hitsugaya was the youngest Captain in the history of the Seireitei, and one didn't get that position that quickly without being powerful, skilled, and above all _smart._ The white-haired prodigy let his sea-green eyes drift back over the piece of paper in front of him. It just didn't make _sense_.

First off was how long it had taken for them to mount a retrieval of Rukia Kuchiki. She had been there nearly a couple of months, far more than killing two Hollows could even hope to account for. Ordinarily, if a Shinigami went even a couple of days over their schedule, someone was dispatched to find them. So why was there a nearly two month gap between disappearance and retrieval?

Then there was the retrieval itself. Why send a Shinigami Captain and Lieutenant to retrieve an unranked officer? That was a case of overkill if he'd ever seen it. Furthermore, why were Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai the ones chosen out of all the Captains and Lieutenants when both of them were known to have strong ties to the one who went rogue. Usually they sent people who didn't have any attachment to the one being retrieved, that way emotions wouldn't get in the way of duty. Yet that had clearly not happened here.

Once they returned, things only got more confusing. Ordering the immediate return and disposal of her gigai. Gigai's were difficult to make, not something that was destroyed without damned good reason. A reason that he couldn't see. Next, they sentenced her to execution. Yes, unauthorized transfer of Shinigami powers was a serious crime, there had been many substitute Shinigami in the past that had caused considerable damage to Soul Society before being put down. However, never had the transfer of powers been considered an execution worthy offense. Even adding the crime of refusing to return, what she had done was traditionally not deserving of an execution. Especially considering that she was nobility, and that _always_ bought one at least a little leniency.

The final straw for him was that she was to be executed by the Sokyoku. That was traditionally reserved for traitorous Captains. Why would it be used on someone who was not only an unranked officer, but who's reiatsu was barely Sixth Seat, if that?

All these things added up in Hitsugaya's mind. Something was going on. Something that was probably very, very bad. There was something larger than just the execution of one person going on. He just couldn't see precisely what it was yet. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who was intelligent enough that all of these abnormalities would speak to, yet someone who wasn't so duty-bound that they'd report either it or him instantly. Preferably someone who had strong ties to Rukia Kuchiki as well, someone who'd be willing to go a little farther than one was allowed to go in order to find out the truth.

Ordinarily, Hitsugaya followed the rules. But even Hyorinmaru was telling him that something wasn't right with the situation, and even above loyalty to the Captain Commander, he was loyal to Soul Society. He would do what he had to in order to ensure that Soul Society wasn't harmed by the conspiracy that the pages hinted at.

The Tenth Squad Captain's brows furrowed as he thought through who he could go to. Not Soifon. She was intelligent enough for what he needed, but she was loyal to a fault. Same problem with Komamura. Aizen was smart, and seemed kind enough to do something like this, but there was something about the man that raised the hairs on the back of his neck, and he knew that Hyorinmaru didn't like him. And if his Zanpakuto didn't like someone, then to him, they weren't worth the dirt they walked on. Ichimaru was just untrustworthy, and no one would ever convince him otherwise.

He couldn't go to Tosen, either, the man lived to see justice done, and since he hadn't complained at the Captains meeting, it was likely that he agreed with the sentence. Zaraki didn't have a brain in his head, and Kuchiki was too obsessed with the rules. He wouldn't even think about Mayuri.

That, regrettably, left only the three senior Captains as his options. Ukitake was Rukia's superior officer, and he was an intelligent man. But his sickness restricted him a great deal, and he wouldn't likely be able to help much in Hitsugaya's investigation. Still, he was short on allies, and anybody he could get to his side would be beneficial. Kyoraku was lazy and a womanizer, but he, like Ukitake, was smart, and he didn't mind bending the rules. In fact, he seemed to take pleasure in pushing Yamamoto to the edge of his sanity. Plus, because he was a senior Captain, he had the ability to go damn near anywhere in the Seireitei without anyone looking twice, and had access to just about everything in the Seireitei as well. He'd be a good ally. The only other one who might be able and willing to help was Retsu Unohana, but she was very loyal to Yamamoto, and he wasn't quite sure if he could trust her.

He shook his head. For now, he'd get Shunsui and Jushiro in on his plan, then he'd ask them if he could trust Unohana with this. They knew her far better than he did.

Hitsugaya knew he was setting himself up for long nights and a lot of headaches over the next seven days, and he didn't even want to think about the punishment if he got caught trying to stop the execution without having first exposed the conspiracy that seemed to surround it, but he had no choice. He would defend Soul Society with everything he had. He glanced over at the drunken heap on the floor of his office and sighed. If only his Lieutenant was as dedicated as he was.

In another office, halfway across the Seireitei, plans were also being made. Aizen rubbed wearily at his temples. He had had a busy day, and the next few promised to be even busier. He had known how time and attention consuming it would be to trick all of the Seireitei, but he hadn't really appreciated how much of a headache it would be until he started the final stages of his plan. It would be so much easier to just make himself invisible and kill them all off, but he didn't want to do that.

If you asked practically anyone in the Seireitei to describe Sosuke Aizen, the most common descriptions would be 'kind, intelligent, and caring'.

If you asked anyone who Aizen had betrayed, experimented on, or killed to describe him, the most common descriptions would be 'heartless, twisted, and sadistic, only cares about his own power'.

However, like with all things, the truth was somewhere in between. He didn't have morals in the conventional sense of the word. He didn't care about his subordinates. If they wanted to follow him, then he would use them just like everyone else.

But, he didn't do things just because he could, or just to increase his power. He had spent quite a bit of time in Hueco Mundo, and he knew how the Hollows saw the world, and in many ways, he sympathized with them.

The way he saw it, the current status quo just wasn't good enough. Hollows were killed just for being what they were. Shinigami acted as though they alone determined what was right and just. Humans were blissfully unaware of either.

This state of affairs was unseemly, and if the King of Soul Society failed to do anything about it, then it was left up to him. The way to do that was to make himself the King of Soul Society. Then he could make regular humans aware of the existence of both Shinigami and Hollow. The Shinigami would be relegated to making sure wholes made it to soul society through konso. The Hollows would be sealed in Hueco Mundo, no one able to go in or out except a special gateway, infused with the King of Soul Society's power that would draw new Hollows in. The Hogyoku would be placed in the gate, transforming Hollows into Arrancar that didn't need to feed on souls, and gave them back their intelligence, letting them create a new civilization in Hueco Mundo, separate from both the human realm and the Soul Society. The three worlds would be at peace, with him ruling over them all.

A truly great plan to allow the three worlds to coexist. A pity that, if they knew what he was planning, no one else would see it that way.

And contrary to what some thought, Aizen did in fact have a conscience. He regretted the deaths of the Central 46, he really did, but they would have made his plan impossible. And it wasn't like they were gone for good, they would be reincarnated in the human world, just like any soul that 'died' in Hueco Mundo would, when he was done with his plans. He would keep everything in balance.

"So, you said you'd tell me exactly what you meant when you said I should have killed that Shinigami."

Yoruichi had known this was coming ever since the gate, but was unable to find some way to avoid it. She could just refuse to answer, but that would leave him untrusting of her, and he may just decide to go up to the gate and see how many Shinigami he could kill before they swarmed him under. Despite the promise Urahara got from him, his temper was on a hair trigger, and when somebody who could access Quincy Final Form had a temper tantrum people paid attention.

"His name is Gin Ichimaru, the Captain of Squad Three. He personifies just about everything bad about Shinigami. He's also a big player in a plan to unite the Hollows and lead them in a war against the Shinigami, with Karakura Town as the battleground." Vast over-simplification, but it'd do for now. The whole plan could be revealed later. Preferably after they had revealed what a traitorous bastard Aizen was. And when Uryu had seen some of the better Shinigami and moderated his opinion of them.

"So, are there any other Shinigami you won't mind me killing?" Yoruichi frowned, although no one could see it on her cat face. Uryu's bloodlust towards Shinigami really was excessive.

"Ichimaru is the only one that we're sure is actually a part of the plan. Besides, you promised Urahara that you wouldn't go around killing Shinigami indiscriminately. If Ichimaru and his group actually do succeed in unifying the Hollows and starting a war, we'll need every Shinigami we can get to save Karakura Town." The mention of his hometown seemed to calm Uryu a little bit.

"The important thing now is to rescue Rukia. We'll worry about the Hollows when the time comes." Chad smoothly diverted conversation away from Ichimaru. "You said something about another way in. Where is this person we need to find?"

"That's what I'm trying to discover myself. Tell me, elder, do you by chance know the whereabouts of Kukaku Shiba?"

"What?" The elder asked, his voice shaking. "You can't possibly mean to use _that _route into the Seireitei?"

"It is the only route available to us."

Ichigo jumped onto an Adjuchas that bore a vague resemblance to a bird. Their group had run across another group of Adjuchas attempting to become Vasto Lorde, and neither group was willing to move. The Adjuchas he was currently facing had tried to take to the air, but Ichigo wasn't about to let that happen. The cero formed on in-between his horns as he turned his head slightly. The cero tore through the air, catching the other Hollow through one of its wings at near point blank range. The sudden loss of one wing made the other Adjuchas lose its balance, falling out of the sky, tumbling end over end as it fought to regain stability.

A hard hit to the head stunned the bird enough that Ichigo gained control of the descent, and the Adjuchas hit the ground hard, Ichigo on top of it. Ichigo plunged his hand down into the Hollow, then pulled to the side, tearing open its back, and without any further ado, Ichigo buried his face into the screaming bird and began to eat.

Pulling his head up, mask dripping with the blood of the Adjuchas he'd just devoured, he watched intently as the other Adjuchas in his group continued their battle. Grimmjow had already beaten the Adjuchas he'd been facing, one that also looked like a cat, hence the reason Grimmjow had went to kill him. Grimmjow was like that sometimes, very protective of his form.

Another Adjuchas jumped on Ichigo's back, trying to use its weight to pin him down and get a bite out of him. Ichigo felt the other hollow bite down, but his hide was just too strong. With a single heave of his powerful leg muscles, Ichigo went rocketing into the air, the other Adjuchas still on his back. In midair he twisted, bringing the other Hollow underneath him, and slamming his elbow back into the other Hollow's face. Channeling Reiryoku to his tail, he extended the two foot spike, glowing red with power, and slammed it into the other Adjuchas thigh. With a screech of pain it let go, and that sealed its fate.

Ichigo spun around in the loosened grip, and kicked off, pushing it towards the ground and himself further up into the air. Power again began to swirl around the tips of the horns, the cero forming. The other Hollow's eyes were wide behind it's mask as the red-tinged white energy slammed into him, tearing him clean in half, the lower body separated from the upper. Ichigo let gravity take hold, falling down to the other Adjuchas. Ichigo took a bite out of it, then tore its elephantine mask apart.

Ichigo stood up and jumped off the disintegrating body of his opponent, feeling the warmth and power flow through him again as he devoured yet another Adjuchas. He landed hard on the sand, bending his legs to absorb the shock of impact. He saw Grimmjow staring at him with a wide, feral grin. Grimmjow took off like a rocket toward one of the enemy that was still engaged with Di Roy. Ichigo followed his train of thought and his jaws parted. After all, there was nothing wrong with helping your comrades out, was there? And it wasn't like Di Roy actually could become a Vasto Lorde anyway, not with Grimmjow having already taken a bite out of him.

Technically speaking, when an Adjuchas got a part of themselves devoured, they became unable to evolve into Vasto Lorde, however it also prevented them from regressing back into Gillian. However, Ichigo and Grimmjow didn't just devour the Adjuchas they ran across, they killed them. The reason was simple, they didn't want an army of vengeful Adjuchas to attack them at some point. They were good, but they weren't suicidal. At least not yet.

Ichigo leapt back into the fray, relishing the prospect of devouring another Adjuchas.


	3. Plans

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Toshiro Hitsugaya was in his office, waiting for the Captain of Squad Thirteen, Jushiro Ukitake to show up. He'd asked the older Captain to come to his office so as to have a little bit stronger position in the conversation, him being on home turf and all. He knew he'd need every advantage he could get to bring Ukitake to his side.

While he would have liked to think that Ukitake would help him for no other reason than he was trying to stop Rukia's execution, he knew better. He might have been young, but he wasn't naïve.

Ukitake had been a Captain longer than he'd been in Soul Society, and he knew that it sometimes grated on older people's nerves to have something brought to their attention by someone who was younger than them.

There was also the small problem of Ukitake having been Yamamoto's student. He'd debated on whether to bring in Ukitake or Kyoraku first. He had to get help, there was no question about that, but it had been a serious debate on which one to approach first.

Ukitake was Rukia's Captain, and from everything he'd heard and personally observed, was quite fond of the girl. However, Kyoraku had always been more of a rule breaker than Ukitake, and seemed to enjoy giving Yamamoto headaches, but he had no personal reason to help. It had been close, but he'd decided to contact Ukitake first. If Ukitake was in on it, then it wouldn't be too difficult to persuade Kyoraku to join, whereas Kyoraku being in on it first might make Ukitake back off.

He ran a hand through his white hair, looking down at the paper in front of him, then at the clock. He'd asked Ukitake to be there at 11:00, just before lunch. He planned on having lunch at the office, giving him more time to persuade Ukitake, as well as time for a planning session on what they were to do. He didn't want to think about what could happen if Ukitake turned him in. What he was doing was serious enough to be considered treason, and the punishment for treason was death. If he wasn't careful, there might be a second victim for the Soukyoku on execution day.

He looked back up at the clock. It was 10:56. He was anxious, not a feeling he was used to. In fact, he was so anxious that he couldn't even do a little bit of the paperwork that plagued all Captains while he was waiting. If he took his mind off of Rukia Kuchiki's execution, he might forget some of the arguments he'd need to bring Ukitake around to his point of view. And any argument he could muster was likely going to be needed to convince the senior Captain to side with him.

He glanced back up at the clock. 10:58. This was rapidly turning into the longest four minutes of his life. Or death, as it were.

A knock on the door nearly startled him out of his chair. "Captain! It's Matsumoto! Captain Ukitake is here!"

"Good. Please come in." He replied, his voice shaking slightly. _'God, I need to pull it together!' _Forcibly trying to calm himself down, he managed to compose himself as Matsumoto was opening the door.

A second later, his blonde Lieutenant and the white-haired Captain walked in. "Good to see you, little Shiro." Ukitake said, smiling gently. The man had a demeanor that usually instantly made someone relax. Unfortunately, Hitsugaya was wound so tight that he couldn't relax. Visions of him getting ran through by the Soukyoku filled his mind, and he nearly lost his nerve completely. He'd actually begun to think of a trivial excuse for why he called Ukitake to meet with him before he regained control of himself, shaking off his fear of what would happen to him if Ukitake reported him.

"Matsumoto." He said, hoping that the other two didn't notice the slight quaver in his voice. "Could you please lock the door and make sure that no one disturbs us until I call for you?"

Rangiku tilted her head slightly, noticing her Captain's odd behavior. She could have sworn he looked nervous, but why would he be nervous about meeting with Ukitake? He'd met Ukitake plenty of times before, and while the younger Captain had been annoyed with Ukitake treating him like a child at times, there was no bad blood between them that she was aware of. In fact, Captain Ukitake was the Captain that Hitsugaya was probably on the best terms with.

"Yes, Captain." She responded, shutting the door on the way out. Hitsugaya held out his hand, creating a Kyomon (Mirror Door) with a brief pulse of Reiatsu, making it nearly impossible for anyone on the outside to get in. Not that he didn't trust his Lieutenant, but he was practically placing his life in Ukitake's hands here, he didn't need the possibility of someone walking in on the conversation rubbing his nerves raw as well.

Ukitake glanced at him quizzically, wondering why he would put up a Kyomon. It was easy to break from the inside, so it wasn't to keep them in, which meant the only other reason was to make sure that the two of them weren't disturbed. But why would that be? What could Hitsugaya want to talk about that was so important that he wasn't willing to risk someone walking in on them?

Hitsugaya took a deep breath, trying to gather his courage. Why the hell was it so hard for him to talk to Ukitake about his suspicions? _'Because you know that if he turns you in, you're screwed.'_ A little voice in the back of his head whispered. _'If he doesn't buy this, you're going to come to a very abrupt end, and there won't be a thing you can do to stop it.'_

"So, what's the problem, Captain Hitsugaya?" Ukitake asked. Given the air of seriousness that permeated the office, Ukitake thought that some formality might be in order. The poor kid behind the desk looked stressed enough, he didn't want to irritate him by using his nickname.

Hitsugaya took another deep breath, preparing himself. "Captain Ukitake, will you give me your word that anything I say will not leave this room?" Not for a second did Hitsugaya think that Ukitake would hesitate to turn him in if he thought that the Tenth Squad Captain was plotting against the Central 46 and Captain Commander Yamamoto, but he hoped that his request would impress upon Ukitake how serious the situation was.

Ukitake blinked, surprised by the request. "Alright. What do you want to talk to me about?" He asked, taking a seat.

Hitsugaya looked down, then brought his gaze up to meet the older Captain's eyes, sea-green locking on to calm brown. "I need your help." Hitsugaya said.

Ukitake raised an eyebrow. "Okay, go on." Ukitake replied, wondering what the younger Captain could require help with that would have him so stressed out.

Hitsugaya hesitated, then took a deep breath and jumped in. "I believe I have uncovered a conspiracy within the Seireitei, with one of the major players being the Central 46." This was the crunch point. That statement was his idea in a nutshell. If Ukitake was unwilling to believe it, it didn't matter how many arguments he made or how much evidence he had, not that he actually had all that much. However, if Ukitake was at least willing to listen to his reasoning, then even if Ukitake decided not to join him, he might not turn Hitsugaya in. Just as Ukitake was opening his mouth to respond, Hitsugaya threw out the part that he thought would get Ukitake to at least listen to him. "And I believe that the victim of this conspiracy is Rukia Kuchiki."

Ukitake's eyes, which had gone wide after Hitsugaya had essentially accused the Central 46 of acting against Soul Society's best interests, went even wider, and he closed his mouth, thinking over what Hitsugaya had said.

Hitsugaya was just sitting there, nervousness written in his posture. "Captain Hitsugaya." Ukitake began. "That is a very serious implication. In fact, that could even be considered treason, and we both are well aware of the punishment for treason. Therefore, I don't believe you would say something like this lightly. May I ask what evidence you have to support this theory of yours?"

Hitsugaya let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding as he felt a wave of relief sweep through him. At least Ukitake was willing to listen to him. Feeling greatly emboldened, Hitsugaya began to elaborate on his scenario.

"There were many things done in both the retrieval and sentencing of Rukia Kuchiki that are clearly against standard procedure." Seeing that Ukitake was paying rapt attention to him, he continued. "First, under ordinary circumstances, if a Shinigami goes missing for even a couple of days, someone is sent to check up on them. However, in Rukia Kuchiki's case, there was nearly a two month gap between disappearance and retrieval. Furthermore, there was clearly a Shinigami that was not Rukia Kuchiki performing the missions that were sent. I've never seen anyone even similar to the boy that forced the Gillian back to Hueco Mundo." That report from the Second Squad had been what had finally gotten them to send someone to check on Rukia.

"The missions were being completed, and the orders were delivered to Rukia's phone, so there was no reason not to believe that she was the one performing them." Ukitake pointed out.

"Yes, but she missed the times she was supposed to check in. I've searched the order log, and immediately following when Rukia Kuchiki went missing, she missed a standard check in. The normally automatic order to send someone to check on her was countermanded by the Central 46." Hitsugaya paused, letting the significance of that statement sink in.

"Then, there was the matter of the retrieval itself. In ordinary circumstances, anyone sent to look for and retrieve a Shinigami that has gone missing in the line of duty is to have no sort of emotional attachment to the person being retrieved. This is in case subject of retrieval has gone rogue and it is necessary to fight and possibly kill the target. However, in this case, there are two abnormalities. First, why send a Captain and a Lieutenant to retrieve an unranked officer? Second, why send two people that are known to have strong emotional connections to the person being retrieved? The only answer I can come up with is that someone wanted the retrieval to be successful, but at the same time wanted to make sure that Rukia Kuchiki was not killed."

Ukitake nodded slowly, Hitsugaya's reasoning making sense. "But then why would they sentence her to execution?"

Hitsugaya shook his head, inwardly glad that Ukitake was getting involved with the theory. "That I don't know, but the execution in and of itself is suspicious. There are three irregularities that I've noticed. The most obvious one is that punishment does not fit the crime. The transferring of powers and subsequently refusing to return is a serious crime. But there have been at least four other similar cases that I've researched, and those crimes have never been punishable by death. Another question, why was the grace period dropped from 35 to 25 days? Finally, there's the manner of execution. Traditionally speaking, the Soukyoku is only used to execute traitorous Captains. Why is Rukia scheduled to be executed by Soukyoku?"

Ukitake's eyes were narrowed, and Hitsugaya could clearly see the wheels turning in the man's head. "All these irregularities were issued by the Central 46, and I think there's something else behind this."

"You make a convincing case." Ukitake said, frowning thoughtfully. "Why, though? That's what I can't figure out. What would Central 46 have to gain by killing Rukia?"

"I don't know that part. I think that if the execution were to be stopped somehow, then whoever was behind this would have to show themselves, if it is indeed Rukia Kuchiki's death they are after."

Ukitake's gaze bored into Hitsugaya's. "Are you planning on stopping the execution?" Ukitake asked.

Hitsugaya dropped his head. "Yes. In order to find out what exactly is going on. I don't know what's happening but I do know that I don't like it. If the Central 46 can order an execution at a whim, then what's to stop them from executing anyone they find inconvenient? Who are they going to go after next? You? Me? They're executing a member of the Kuchiki house, going after a commoner like me or Captain Zaraki wouldn't be that hard."

Ukitake frowned. "While I don't necessarily think that your scenario is really all that probable, I do agree that there are things going on that I don't understand or agree with. Rukia is a member of my squad, and I don't want her executed for no reason." Ukitake leaned forward. "I'm guessing the reason you called me here was to try to get me to help you stop the execution, is that right?"

Hitsugaya gathered all the nerves he had and looked Ukitake square in the eye. "Yes." His heart was beating a mile a minute, the blood pumping through him, the sound nearly thunderous in his ears.

Ukitake leaned back, the normal gentle smile returning. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to come to me with this. You're right, something is up, and if we don't stop it here it may threaten all of Soul Society. I'm with you. Is there anyone else helping you?"

Hitsugaya breathed a silent sigh of relief. Ukitake was not the kind of man who would deceive someone, if he said he was willing to help him, then he meant it. "As of right now, no. After you, I was planning on bringing in Captain Kyoraku, but I wasn't sure if we could trust anyone else."

"Shunsui will help us, if for no other reason than to make more problems for Yamamoto. Anyone else?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I thought about all the Captains. Captain Soi Fon is loyal to the point of stupidity, Captain Ichimaru is untrustworthy, Captain Unohana is too duty-bound, Captain Aizen seems to be too loyal to consider, plus he gives me a bad vibe, Captain Kuchiki is too obsessed with the rules, Captain Komamura is too loyal to Yamamoto, Captain Tosen is too obsessed with justice, and since he didn't speak out at the Captains meeting, I'd assume he's content with her sentence, Captain Zaraki is a berserker, not exactly useful for uncovering a conspiracy, Captain Kurotsuchi…" They both grimaced. "Let's not go there."

Ukitake looked thoughtful for a moment. "I agree with you on all except one." At Hitsugaya's questioning expression he continued. "Captain Zaraki. He's not as unobservant as you seem to think he is. Besides, if we're going to try to stop the execution, it's more than likely going to come down to open warfare. In that case, it would be wiser to have Captain Zaraki and the Eleventh Squad with us than against us."

Hitsugaya nodded, conceding the point. "How will we get him to join us?"

Ukitake laughed. "That's the easy part. Just promise him a chance to fight another Captain and he'll follow you into hell."

Hitsugaya found himself smiling at the accurate summary of Kenpachi Zaraki's personality. The man lived for no other reason than to fight.

Ukitake continued, growing more serious. "Will your Lieutenant follow you in this?"

Hitsugaya smirked. "Matsumoto might look lazy, but she'd stick with me to the end of the world."

"Despite how they argue, Kiyone and Sentarou would follow me in much the same way." Ukitake remarked. "Zaraki's whole division will follow him, and Nanao spends most of her time getting Shunsui out of trouble, I think she'd even take this kind of thing in stride."

The two of them sat in silence for while before Ukitake stood up. "I'm going to go talk to Shunsui. It won't be too hard for me to convince him, and it may draw attention if you go there. Everyone knows that me and Shunsui are friends, so no one will think twice if I go there, but as far as I'm aware you've never met him in anything other than an official capacity."

Hitsugaya nodded, Ukitake brought up a good point. If there really was a conspiracy, everything had to be played down. If their opponent got wind of what they were planning to do, there might be a few more people lined up to be executed by Soukyoku.

"Alright. Do you want me to talk to Captain Zaraki?"

Ukitake shook his head. "You have less reason to go to Captain Zaraki than you do to go to Shunsui. I'll get him, too. I'm one of Lieutenant Kusajishi's main suppliers of candy." Ukitake stood up. "Lay low for now. Once I have Shunsui and Zaraki on board, we'll have a secret council of war."

Ukitake turned to go out the door, easily breaking the Kyomon that Hitsugaya had put up. "Oh, I almost forgot." He looked back over his shoulder, smiling at the young Captain. "This is for you." He tossed a piece of watermelon flavored candy at Hitsugaya, which the other Captain caught.

With that, Ukitake strode out of the door. Hitsugaya looked down at the piece of candy and shrugged. It wasn't like anyone was around to see. He peeled off the wrapper and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, he carefully watched the door to make sure that no one came in. He had a hard enough time keeping control of his Squad due to his age, and he acted as mature as he could. If anyone caught him acting like a kid, he'd never be able to command his troops.

Ichigo and Grimmjow had taken off into the desert. The bickering between the rest of the group had been driving them crazy. Both of them were at their wits end, and if they had stayed for one more second, someone would have died. Probably more than one someone.

"Hey, Grimmjow, I got a question for ya." Ichigo said as the two of them tore across the white sand, looking for another Adjuchas to eat.

"Shoot." Grimmjow said.

"How many Hollows does an Adjuchas have to eat before they transform into a Vasto Lorde?"

Grimmjow skidded to a halt, Ichigo following suit. "What brought that on?"

"I don't know. It's just, I was devouring Gillians pretty much 24/7 for a couple of weeks, and if it took that many Hollows to become an Adjuchas, I'm kind of worried about exactly how long it's going to take to become Vasto Lorde."

Grimmjow looked at him, his eyes steady. "Look, Ichigo, I'll be frank. I've been an Adjuchas for over ten years now, and I still don't think I'm even close to becoming a Vasto Lorde. So unless you've got a wonderful idea for a shortcut, quit complaining. You've been an Adjuchas for what, a little over a week? When you've been one for as long as I have, you can complain and worry. Until then, shut up."

"Well, you don't have to be so insulting about it." Ichigo muttered.

"Conflicts amongst allies is never a good sign." Both Ichigo and Grimmjow whirled to face the unfamiliar voice.

What they saw was an oddity, even among Adjuchas. Taller than Ichigo, with a lower body that looked like a pumpkin, eyes all over his body and a skull-like mask, the other Adjuchas looked like nothing either Ichigo or Grimmjow had ever seen.

"Who the hell are you?" Grimmjow growled.

"Ah, pardon me for failing to introduce myself. I am Zommari Leroux, an Adjuchas who is on the path to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

"Is that so?" Grimmjow asked, grinning. "Well, me and Ichigo happen to be on the same path. And we don't like competition." Grimmjow looked over at Ichigo. "What do you think? We've been looking for a meal for a while now, how does he sound?"

Ichigo grinned back at Grimmjow. "I think that he'll do nicely."

Zommari sighed. "Such arrogance. Taking your eyes off of your enemy without knowing a thing about his capabilities, not taking a fight seriously, I truly do pity the two of you." Two of the eyes that covered Zommari's body began to glow. Grimmjow jumped out of the way of the attack, while Ichigo covered his face with one hand.

Grimmjow snorted. "That's it? Some kind of light show?"

Ichigo laughed. "I didn't even feel anything."

"What makes you think that my attack was meant to harm you?" Zommari asked. "Everything in existence is about control. If you control yourself, you are a better fighter than one who simply rushes in. If you control the battlefield, you can manipulate it to how you see fit. If you control your enemy…" Zommari trailed off.

"What the hell?" Ichigo's hand moved, grabbing his mask and beginning to squeeze.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ichigo?" Grimmjow snarled.

Ichigo's other hand had come up, grabbing onto the wrist in an attempt to pry his hand away from his mask. "It's not me, damnit! I can't control my hand at all!"

"You see what I mean?" Zommari asked. Now that he was looking, Grimmjow could see a small black mark that looked like a sun on the hand that was trying to crush Ichigo's mask. "Each one of my eyes can take control of an object. I now have control over your friend's hand. There is nothing that can break my control, and with my control, I will destroy the two of you."

"Don't count on it, bastard." Ichigo ground out. He let go of his wrist, reaching for his right shoulder. His claws easily pierced his hide, and Ichigo tightened his grip, wincing as he pulled as hard as he could.

Ichigo's right arm came off at the shoulder in a spray of blood as he shrieked in pain, his regeneration already beginning. The grip on his mask loosened and Ichigo held the offending limb in his hand as his arm finished regrowing.

"A willingness to sacrifice your own body along with high-speed regeneration, that will surely prevent me from controlling you. Save for one thing." Another eye began to glow. "How many times can you regenerate before your Reiatsu is all used up?"

Ichigo, not waiting to get hit again, threw his severed arm between him and Zommari, the arm taking the hit. Simultaneously, he formed a cero between his horns. He fired the beam, vaporizing his own severed arm as the cero tore towards Zommari.

This was something that Zommari wasn't prepared for. Most Adjucas didn't have the ability to use cero, thus they had to get in close to him to try to attack, and the closer they were, the easier it was for him to control them.

This was the first time Zommari had ran into an Adjuchas that could effectively attack at range. And given that he lacked a great deal of mobility, it was a rather unwelcome surprise.

The bloated form was barely able to dodge, but as he did, he fell into Grimmjow's attack from the other side. Grimmjow raked through three of Zommari's eyes as he darted past. Landing and turning faster than Zommari could react, Grimmjow had again tore past him, destroying another four eyes.

Zommari floundered as he tried to regain his equilibrium, but before he could recover, Ichigo was on him as well, another cero taking off one of his arms.

Zommari was partially turned by the force of the cero, and he saw Grimmjow coming towards him, only a few steps away. Desperately he reached out with his hand, Grimmjow crashing against it. Taking advantage of the sudden position, he used the eye from point blank range, taking control of Grimmjow.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed as Grimmjow turned toward him, a sun shaped mark on his forehead.

Grimmjow dashed toward him, Ichigo jumping high into the air to dodge the attack, while at the same time charging up a cero between his horns as well as one on each hand. This time, Zommari wouldn't survive his cero.

He shot all three of them at the same time, a red and white storm of Reiatsu coming down from on high like the wrath of God.

Ichigo didn't see the white form that streaked in-between his attack and Zommari. So, when the ceros died down, the one thing that Ichigo wasn't expecting to see was the burnt, shredded body of Grimmjow Jeagerjaques driven into the sand by the force of his attack, the area around him turned to glass.

The brunt of the attacks had him in the midsection, nearly tearing the panther-like Adjuchas in two, and the rest of him was burnt black, with chunks missing out of him where the more powerful parts of the Cero had vaporized parts of his body.

Ichigo landed, barely able to comprehend what he saw. He'd just killed Grimmjow. The only one that he could really call a friend, which was a rarity in Hueco Mundo, and he'd accidentally killed him.

His brown eyes turned yellow behind the mask, rage coursing through his body. It was his fault! That damned bloated Adjuchas had turned his friend against him, had forced his friend to die taking an attack that Ichigo had meant for his enemy.

"A pity that he had to die. You see what I mean? Control is everything." Zommari gloated. "And do you know what the best part is? I can still control him, even now."

Ichigo hissed as he turned, seeing one of Zommari's eyes beginning to glow. He ran to the side, dodging the attack. His rage boiled even hotter as he saw Grimmjow's body stand up.

"You son of a bitch! He's already dead, just let him die in peace. Stop trying to use him against me!" Grimmjow charged at Ichigo, staggering and off-balance due to the damage to his body. Ichigo snarled and backhanded Grimmjow away.

No, not Grimmjow. Grimmjow was dead, nobody could have survived the attack that Ichigo had unleashed. The mindless puppet, the reanimated corpse of Grimmjow flew to the side as Ichigo continued to charge, angling for the side of Zommari that Grimmjow had taken the eyes out on.

Zommari recognized the danger, his voice growing higher pitched. "Stop him. Block his attack!"

Grimmjow simply couldn't respond fast enough, the damage to his body so extensive that the muscles that controlled the legs were mostly burnt to a crisp, it was amazing he could move at all.

Ichigo got to Zommari, slamming his tail through the one eye that could still reach him, and grabbed Zommari's mask between his hands.

"I'm going to kill you!" He snarled, exerting all of his considerable power to crush Zommari's mask between his hands.

Zommari's body broke apart in a cloud of dust, Ichigo landing lightly on his feet as he turned to Grimmjow's body, which had stopped moving as soon as Zommari's control over it was broken.

Ichigo cleared the distance between them in one leap, landing next to the body of his friend.

"Grimmjow, I'm sorry." It was rare for a Hollow to feel sorrow, but it did happen.

He held out his hand, a cero charging on his fingers. If a Hollow was killed in Hueco Mundo, but the mask wasn't crushed, then their body would lie there for a time, the dissolving delayed, and they were often scavenged by all the other Hollows.

Ichigo couldn't allow something like that to happen to Grimmjow. The white panther at least deserved the dignity of not being devoured. So, Ichigo was going to vaporize his body, not let all the damned scavengers raid the corpse of the powerful Adjuchas.

Suddenly the corpse below him twitched, and a shuddering breath came from his mouth. Ichigo let the cero dissipate, completely shocked.

One dull blue eye opened behind the mask and fixed itself on Ichigo. "Damn." The rasping voice cut through Ichigo's immobility. "You pack one hell of a wallop. But next time, for the love of God, make sure that you hit the enemy and not me."

Ichigo grinned behind the mask, happy that his friend wasn't dead. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to protect him."

"Not by choice, I assure you. And I couldn't just cut off my head the way you did your arm." Grimmjow's natural sarcasm was coming to the fore.

"Are you alright?"

Grimmjow glared at him. "Nice of you to ask after you fried me. Take a look at me and tell me if I'm alright."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, although he was glad that they had instantly settled into the bickering that they usually did. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant 'Are you going to die if I pick you up to take you back to the others?'"

"I'll be fine once I devour a few other Hollows and can heal up. Speaking of which, you are going to go out and get a few for me, right? It is your fault that I'm the mess I am now."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get a couple for ya, but only after I get you back to where Shawlong and the others can keep all the other hungry Adjuchas off your back. I can't fight while carrying you, and with the way you are right now, if I left you here you wouldn't even be able to fight off a normal Hollow." Ichigo said as he picked Grimmjow up as gently as he could.

"And whose fault is that?" Grimmjow asked.

"Fuck you. If you weren't my friend I'd leave you here, or devour you myself, so quit whining."

The two were silent on the way back, although when they did arrive it caused quite a commotion.

"What the hell happened to you?" Di Roy asked incredulously as he saw the extent of Grimmjow's injuries.

"Ichigo got a little too trigger-happy with his ceros." Grimmjow growled.

"I said I was sorry, and I'm going to get you some Adjuchas to eat to get your strength back up. What the hell more do you want?"

Grimmjow looked away from him.

"Damned immature kitten." Ichigo grumbled under his breath. "Shawlong, you guys keep him company and keep any other Hollows off of his back while I go hunting. It shouldn't take me too long."

Ichigo turned and raced back out into the desert.

Edorad Leones turned to Grimmjow. "Damn. If he can do that to you, I sure as hell don't want him as my enemy."

That seemed to be the sentiments of everyone in the group.

There's number three.


	4. Entering the Seireitei

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

"Are you sure this is safe?" Uryu asked as he placed his hands on the crystal that would form the protective cannonball. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to get into the Seireitei only to end up as a bloody smear on the ground." This was the third time that Uryu had expressed doubts about the safety of their chosen method of entering the Seireitei.

"My sister's done this a hundred times, so quit worrying you pansy." Uryu scowled at the large, rough-looking man next to him. Ganju Shiba was the younger brother of Kukaku Shiba, and in Uryu's opinion both siblings were completely insane.

"And would any of the people that she's done this to a hundred times still be around to talk to? Just to get an experienced person's point of view?"

"Nope." Ganju grinned. "They're all gone now, safe and sound in their new lives in the world of the living. Bless their souls."

"That doesn't sound very encouraging." Uryu muttered. "May I ask how they died?"

"Sure. There were a couple that died from wounds to the head." Ganju started.

"I can see how falling from a great distance onto an unforgiving surface would cause head wounds." Uryu remarked.

"Not like that! They were killed by the people inside the Seireitei." Ganju coughed. "Anyway, continuing on. Several more died from being torn in half."

"Well, I suppose if they landed on the edge of a roof or something then the force could easily tear them in half." Uryu mused.

"Wrong again!" Ganju exclaimed. "That batch was killed by Hollows. Let's see, there was another batch that died from falling into a hole."

"A disturbingly similar circumstance to what we're about to attempt. And if anything, we've got the bigger fall."

As Ganju and Uryu went back and forth, Yoruichi let her mind wander. It was going to take some time for Kukaku to get all the preparations for launch ready, so she could afford to just be quiet and think for a few minutes. It also helped her ignore Ganju and Uryu's bickering.

It had been one day since they had come to Kukaku's house. Uryu and Chad had grasped the trick of making the crystal form a cannonball surprisingly quickly. Chad's cannonball was slightly unstable, but incredibly powerful. Uryu's was stable, but thin and rigid, much like the boy himself.

Chad, though. He worried her. There was that underlying Hollow feel to his Reiatsu that made the fur on the back of her neck stand up. She still remembered the conversation she had had with Urahara about him shortly before they'd left.

"_I'm telling you, Kisuke, Chad's powers are dangerous. You can't tell me that having a human with powers practically identical to a Hollow's is natural or safe."_

"_You're right, it's not natural. But it's also not dangerous." Urahara began to pace. "You see, just by watching, I've already discovered a great deal. As Ichigo's out of control Reiatsu poured out of him over the years, Chad's body reacted. Ordinarily the living body pushes away excess Reiatsu around them. However, In Chad's case, two factors changed that."_

"_First, the fact the he was exposed to it, day after day after day for years on end, and it only got worse once Ichigo became a Shinigami. The second thing that changed that was the fact that the two of them were best friends. How the unconscious soul works is difficult to understand, but since Chad only felt that excess Reiatsu when he was around Ichigo, and since Ichigo and him were friends, I think that his soul marked the energy as 'safe' and began to draw it in. The reason that the soul, and hence, the body, normally pushes away ambient spirit energy is because unless the body is trained to handle it, like a Quincy, it can be harmful. Think of it as a sort of spiritual immune system."_

"_So, you have Chad absorbing that Reiatsu, day in and day out, for years. I mean, granted, it wasn't a terrible amount or every Hollow in Hueco Mundo would have been after the boy, but Ichigo was emitting Reiatsu constantly, and Chad's body was absorbing it. But since he wasn't doing anything with it, it just sat there in his body, unused, which let a bigger and bigger store of it build up."_

_Urahara paused for a moment, and although it was clear he was trying to put it into layman's terms, she still felt as though the explanation was going over her head. Damned scientists, all she wanted to know was if it was safe and maybe a little bit of how it worked, she didn't want to know why._

_Before she could say anything, he continued. "That had the side effect of accustoming his body to absorbing Reiatsu, and he soon began to draw in Reiatsu from all sources, not just Ichigo. Then, over the years, his body became accustomed to the Reiatsu inside of it, and began to unconsciously utilize it, the reason why he was so strong and tough even before manifesting any obvious spiritual powers. Yes, he's strong and tough naturally, but being able to stand up after a steel girder fell on him, and his body being tough enough to bend said steel girder are a little outside the realm of normal human physical capabilities."_

"_However, most of the Reiryoku inside him remained dormant until he fought the Hollow and gained his armored arm. That released the built up power inside of him, and it transformed his body in order to make use of it. With that, he was able to defeat the Hollow. However, later that same day, he was at the battle where Ichigo fought the Gillian. The power that the Gillian and Ichigo exuded in that fight was enough to rebuild a power well inside him. That was released when he learned of Ichigo's 'death', and manifested itself as changing his original arm, and transforming his left one."_

"_Finally, he's heading to Soul Society, a place where everything is made of reishi, and he's going to be fighting Shinigami. The more Reiatsu he absorbs, the more powerful the transformation. If you can stop him from fighting any Captains right off the bat, his transformation when he does fight one should be incredible."_

"_What do you mean?" She asked, speaking for the first time since the start of the conversation._

"_His body stores the power until it's needed, or until it is released in times of great emotional stress. Furthermore, his body seems to sense exactly what type of power he needs to have in order to win a given fight, and tailors the transformation accordingly. However, the power of the transformation is limited by the amount of Reiryoku his body has at the time of transformation. The longer he's in Soul Society, the more power he absorbs, and the more powerful the transformation. Which means I'm going to need you to do something."_

"_What?" She asked warily._

"_The time you're in Soul Society, whenever you're around Chad, I need you to let out more of your Reiatsu than you normally do."_

"_You want me to speed up the transformation." She growled_

"_No, I want you to make the transformation more powerful when it does happen. Yoruichi, listen to me. If I thought there was even a chance that Chad would go berserk, I wouldn't even consider this. But as far as I can tell, his powers are stable. They're like a Hollow's, yes, but they're stable. Furthermore, I think he may very well be the only one who can stop Aizen."_

"_What do you mean by that? I understand that his powers are unlike anything ever seen before, but what would make him a match for Aizen when most Captains can't even touch him?"_

"_Think about it. Chad has a limitless potential to get stronger. He'll keep absorbing Reiatsu, keep building up power, and keep transforming until his soul is destroyed completely, with each successive transformation stronger than the previous one. In addition, his transformation is tailored to what he needs to win each fight. He gains a new ability when he transforms, but he doesn't lose any abilities that previous transformations gave him. Yes, it requires more Reiatsu to transform each time, but with the battles we've got ahead, I don't think that's going to be a problem for a while. By the end of the war, it wouldn't surprise me if he was able to easily beat Captain Commander Yamamoto."_

"_Alright." She didn't like it, but she would do it._

She looked around and saw that Uryu and Ganju were close to blows. Or, more accurately, Ganju was on the verge of attacking Uryu, while Uryu looked more unsure than ever about their method of entering the Seireitei.

"Enough, Uryu." She said wearily. "If you're really that unsure about it, you're more than welcome to go try to get in through a gate again."

Uryu was silent for a moment, as if he was really considering the idea before he shrugged and let the matter drop.

For several minutes no one spoke, then Yoruichi shifted slightly. "She's getting ready to start the final launch procedure. All of you, get ready."

Still having misgivings, Uryu did as told, beginning to channel his Reiryoku into the light blue ball that was being held in the middle of the three, with Yoruichi sitting on top of it. The ball glowed bright, the red symbol in the center a stark contrast to the light emanating from the crystal.

The energy washed over them as the crystal projected the power they were pouring into it as a 'shell' around them, in the shape of a sphere. For a few tense seconds nothing happened. Then Kukaku finished the launch ceremony and the ball was blasted upwards, a sonic boom trailing in its wake.

Uryu and Chad has all they could do to keep their concentration enough to make sure the cannonball was stable. Ganju and Yoruichi seemed totally unaffected, Yoruichi licking her tail, and Ganju pulling out some sort of paper from inside his shirt. He unrolled it and began to chant.

What he was chanting, Uryu couldn't say, as soon as his mouth began to make words, the cannonball shot forward at triple velocity, and if Uryu had thought his concentration was strained before, it was nothing compared to what was happening now. Chad was slightly more composed, he took note of the directional shifts that were happening to the ball in mid-flight.

The clouds were streaming alongside them like vapor trails before Uryu got himself composed enough to speak, Ganju having since finished his chant. "What's going to happen when we land in the Seireitei?"

"It's not quite that easy, Uryu." Came Yoruichi's voice. "The Seki-seki rock that surrounds the perimeter of the Seireitei doesn't just make a wall. Since it repels spirit energy from all sides, when you have a ring of it, the outer circle expands to make a three-hundred-and-sixty degree barrier that repels any form of spirit energy. That's the secondary purpose behind the cannonball, to make a concentrated mass of spiritual power that can punch through that barrier."

Uryu struggled with the concept in his head, something nagging at him, something that was wrong with that statement. "Yoruichi, Shinigami are capable of using their powers inside the Seireitei, right?"

Yoruichi glanced sidelong at the Quincy. "Yes, although they usually don't. There are laws stating that a Shinigami must keep their Zanpakuto sealed, and refrain from using Kido spells unless actively engaging intruders, or engaged in training activities supervised by the Captain of the Squad. The only exception to this is the Fourth Squad, which specializes in healing, and are allowed unrestricted use of Kido spells."

Uryu groped a little bit, feeling his way to the center of his thought. "If the Seireitei is surrounded by this 'Seki-seki' rock, and it's powerful enough to put up a barrier around the Seireitei that fries any body of Reiryoku it touches, then how are the Shinigami even able to live there? Logically, if the stone repels Reiryoku from any direction, then not only would it push all the Reiryoku, and hence all the Shinigami, inside the Seireitei towards the center and either crush or vaporize it, and we wouldn't even be able to get near the wall because it would be pushing us away long before we ever got near it."

Yoruichi opened her mouth, closed it, frowned, opened her mouth again, closed it again, and turned away. _'Good question. I don't really know. It makes sense, what he's saying, even though it's obviously not the case. Why doesn't the wall effect us like that?' _Fortunately she was saved from having to try to answer when Chad's voice cut into the silence.

"Is that the Seireitei?" The deep baritone voice rumbled out of him. The others looked as the clouds parted, revealing the giant circular barrier that had repulsed them once before, the white buildings with roads between them that seemed to lead nowhere, the tall hill that they had seen in the distance when they first arrived in Soul Society.

"Yes, we're approaching the membrane now." Yoruichi glanced back over the Uryu, sweeping her gaze to include Chad. "The only way for us to survive is to put all of our power into the cannonball." As a former captain, she had more than enough power to make the cannonball break through all on her own, however, she didn't really want to reveal that to them just yet." Chad looked stoic as always, and Uryu was grim. _'Well, here goes. Four of us breaking into the Seireitei. How did Kisuke talk me into this?'_

Toshiro Hitsugaya stood in the line of Captains, Shunsui Kyoraku on his left and Mayuri Kurotsuchi on his right. A shiver, too small for any of the other gathered Captains to notice ran up his body, and he edged slightly away from the creepy Captain of squad twelve. On his left, Shunsui was the only one who noticed, and his lips twitched upwards in a slight smile as he reached up to pull his straw hat down lower over his face. On the opposite side, Captain Ukitake of Squad Thirteen was in one of his periods of better health, and stood alongside the giant Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad Eleven.

They had all gathered except one. Of course, the one that was the subject of the meeting was the one who wasn't here. The fox-faced Captain of Squad Three, Gin Ichimaru.

The door creaked open. No one was surprised, having sensed Ichimaru outside for a few seconds, probably composing himself. When he walked in, the ever-present smile and eyes narrowed into squints concealed any hint of what he actually thought.

"Gin Ichimaru. Captain of Squad Three. I trust you know why you have been summoned here today."

Ichimaru responded with a shrug, and his relaxed, mocking voice drawled out. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the Ryoka that tried to get into the Seireitei earlier, would it? After all, I can't think of anything else that's happened lately that would be enough to summon all the distinguished Captains here just for me."

"You allowed them to escape, did you not?" Yamamoto's voice was stern, promising retribution if the incorrect answer was given.

Ichimaru shrugged again and rubbed his hair with one hand. Nonchalantly, he replied. "Allow is a bit too loose of a term, Captain Commander. After all, the Quincy had an arrow pointed at my back from less than a foot away. What was I supposed to do?"

"Ha" The derisive laugh came from Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The captain with the black and white face paint continued scornfully. "You lost to a mere Quincy? And you call yourself a Captain? Sounds to me like either you don't deserve your rank, or you're hiding something."

"Can you not see? By insinuating that I'm 'hiding something', it almost sounds as if you think I let them go on purpose."

"That's exactly what I'm saying." The scientist ground out.

"Enough!" A small flash of the Reiatsu that the Captain Commander normally kept hidden was enough to silence the room. "Captain Kurotsuchi, unless you have evidence or are prepared to face him in a duel of honor, I would refrain from leveling accusations at a fellow Captain. As for you, Ichimaru, the fact remains that you acted alone, without authorization to release your Zanpakuto. In addition, you failed to either capture or kill the targets, leaving them free to try to enter again. So, how do you defend your actions, Captain Ichimaru?"

"I cannot." That was the one answer no one in the room had expected to hear. Everyone had expected Ichimaru to have some excuse or reason up his sleeve, nobody expected him to just say he screwed up. Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. Even as he said that, something sent chills through the young Captain. Ichimaru's voice always sounded mocking, but there was a smug undertone that the white-haired prodigy had never heard before. _'What are you planning? What are you so smug about?'_

It appeared that he was not the only one to notice it, either. Across from him, Kenpachi Zaraki's one visible eye was narrowed as he stared at Ichimaru, and Hitsugaya could see the wheels visibly turning in the man's head. His estimation of the Eleventh Squad Captain rose several notches as he realized that Ukitake was correct, Kenpachi was incredibly observant, when the situation required it.

It was Sosuke Aizen, the Captain of Squad Five, that broke the silence that had fallen over the gathering. "Ichimaru, I'd like to ask you something." Shunsui was the only one who was far enough forward among the three Captains that were helping Hitsugaya uncover the conspiracy to see the barely noticeable tightening of Ichimaru's squinted eyes.

A sudden clanging sound filled the air. "Alert, alert, this is a red alert. Intruders in the Seireitei. I repeat, the Seireitei security has been breached. This is not a drill. All squads report to your stations. This is not a drill." The klaxon of the alarm continued to blare throughout the Seireitei. A sudden thudding of feet was heard as Kenpachi Zaraki raced for the door, disappearing out of it before anyone could say anything. For a man who didn't know either Kido or Shunpo, he could move damned fast. Yamamoto sighed.

"All squads, get into position. I will inform you later how Ichimaru is to be dealt with." The Captains that had gathered broke ranks and began to move to the door. Unohana and Kurotsuchi were the first two to leave, Kuchiki, Tosen, and Kyoraku right behind them. Aizen, one of the last to leave, stopped beside Ichimaru.

"Saved by the security alert. Convenient timing, eh, Ichimaru?"

"Why don't you just come out and say it? You're not making much sense."

Aizens voice took on a flinty edge. "You don't really think you'll get away with this, do you?" His voice dropped even lower. "Just remember, don't underestimate me, Ichimaru." With that he stepped away, seeming to not notice that two white-haired Captains had stopped, and heard the entire conversation.

Uryu grunted and pushed even more power into the crystal as they hung, suspended by the membrane that protected by the Seireitei. Beside him, Chad had both arms armored and was pushing every bit of power that _he_ had into it, and he could feel the power rolling off of Yoruichi. He thought he felt the barrier giving way, and pushed even harder.

The two forces, one a near impenetrable barrier, the other a near indestructible cannonball collided, both pushing until one gave way.

Hitsugaya stared up, watching as the ball flew through the air before crashing into the barrier, making the sky glow and sending shockwaves of Reiryoku throughout the Seireitei. Elsewhere, others were wondering in shock about how it could hit the membrane and not be destroyed, but his mind was somewhere else. There was something off about this. Aizen's conversation, the alarm, all of it just rang false somehow.

Returning his attention to the matter at hand, he saw that they had managed to penetrate the barrier and been split into three groups, none of which appeared to be headed for the Tenth Squad patrol area. Judging by their trajectories, they were headed for Eleventh, Sixth, and Second. Good.

If there were no intruders in their patrol areas, then he could get Ukitake and Kyoraku together and discuss what happened at the meeting. There was something wrong there, but he was damned if he could see it. He took one last glance up at the sky, and hoped that the situation with the Ryoka would get resolved quickly. He didn't want to have to deal with a Ryoka invasion _and_ try to uncover a conspiracy at the same time.

Chad fell towards the ground, engulfed in a blue-white light. Twisting around, he pulled his right arm back and transformed it, shooting a blast of energy at the ground to slow his descent. He knew he was giving a neon sign to his landing spot, but he didn't really care.

Ikkaku Madarame watched the person inside the streak of blue light launch what looked to be some type of Kido blast ahead of him, slowing him down enough to land safely. He grinned, and felt adrenaline rush through his body in anticipation. He could also feel his Zanpakuto's snores in the back of his head. Ah, well, the lazy sword would get woken up soon enough.

Chad stood up from the crater that he had landed in, his arm reverting back to normal. Looking around, he reassured himself that there was no one there. He hadn't seen anyone coming down, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. He started to move when he heard a voice behind him.

"Never seen a Kido spell like that before. Then again, I don't really use Kido, so it's not surprising." Chad whirled around to find himself facing a bald man with small red markings at the corner of his eyes. He held a Zanpakuto, still in its sheath, behind his head.

"I don't want to fight you. Please do not attempt to stop me."

"Well, that puts us in a bad position, doesn't it? Because, if you didn't want to fight, then breaking into the Seireitei wasn't the best way to accomplish that." He tilted his head and continued. "You sure are a big guy. Almost as big as the Captain." His eyes narrowed. "I think you'll do for a good fight."

As soon as the words left his mouth he was on Chad, his Zanpakuto coming down in an overhead slash. Chad brought his left arm up, Reiryoku swirling around him as he transformed both of his arms, catching the blade on his forearm. Ikkaku's eyes widened in shock, and Chad took the opportunity to punch out at the smaller man. Ikkaku brought his other arm around to put the sheath against Chad's fist, but he didn't try to stop it. Instead, he used the fist as a push-off point, pushing his Zanpakuto down harder on Chad's other arm to flip himself into the air.

Chad saw what he was doing and ducked under the swing, but he wasn't expecting the end of the sheath to hit him in the back of the head. Stars exploded in his vision, this guy might not be big, but he was strong. Chad stumbled forward a few steps, shaking his head to clear his vision. Regaining his balance, he sensed the Shinigami coming up behind him. The fin on top of his right arm splitting and glowing with power as he spun, sending his fist out straight from his body, a white blast of energy erupting from it.

Ikkaku saw it coming, but he'd faced Gillian class Menos before, and he didn't let it stop him. Ducking under the blast, he rolled three times before coming up just underneath the Ryoka's arm, his enemy's own blast shielding him from view. He had come up with his right hand across his body, zanpakuto pointing out behind him. He slashed horizontally, his blade biting deep into the abdomen of his opponent. The man dropped to one knee, the blast of power fading to reveal the enemy's other arm coming around, fist glowing with Reiryoku for a vicious counterattack.

Ikkaku barely had time to bring his sheath up to prevent the fist from smashing into him unopposed, but that was only the first stage of the attack. Spinning to face him with his knee still on the ground, Chad let the sheath have it with as big a blast as he could muster. Ikkaku managed to get his blade up to help as he was propelled along at the end of the white beam, his sheath and Zanpakuto barely holding the blast back from reaching him, although his arms were feeling the strain. He tensed, knowing that he was unable to stop himself while the blast was pushing him along, and knowing that he was about to hit a wall soon. And he did.

Chad watched as the blast hit a wall, knowing that he had sandwiched the Shinigami between his blast and the wall, and even though the wall only held for an instant, he knew that the impact had caused serious damage.

Ikkaku stepped out of the rubble a few seconds after Chad's blast had faded away. The back of his robes had been ripped up pretty badly, and there were a few cuts, but they didn't bother him. His smirk had gotten wider. He'd been looking for a good fight. "At least, tell me your name."

"Chad." He'd taken to calling himself that after Ichigo had died. It was his way of remembering his friend, who had never gotten his name right.

"I'm Third Seat Assistant Adjutant of Squad Eleven, Ikkaku Madarame. Well, Chad, if we're going to enjoy the fight, then we'd better give it our all." He held both hands out, his sword facing one way and his sheath the other. He slammed the handle back into the sheath. "Nobiro, Hozukimaru (Grow, Demon Light). The sword and sheath began to shine.

Uryu, having found himself flying down towards the ground at an alarming rate, flipped over and pulled Reiryoku from the surrounding environment, bringing a current underneath his feet that swept him down to the ground and skimmed over it for a few seconds, letting his momentum die down before his feet touched earth.

He landed there, crouching as he finally came to a stop. He stood up, glancing around. _'It would help if I actually knew where to go.' _He thought irritably. Looking around, he couldn't see anything to help him decide where to go. _'If I'm going to avoid confrontation, I'd better not use Hirenkyaku to move around, they'll all sense me. So it looks like I'm going to have to go it on foot.' _Pressing himself to one wall, he began to work his way towards a large hill in what he presumed was the center of the Seireitei. He wanted to avoid any confrontation. He wasn't sure how long his promise to Urahara would last if he got into a fight.

Ikkaku dashed toward Chad, his released Zanpakuto held low. Chad caught the tip of the spear, holding it firmly, while bringing his other had up to catch Ikkaku with a blast. Ikkaku jumped up, sliding down the shaft of the spear, twisting to put his feet in Chad's face.

He grinned even wider, pushed himself over Chad's head and cried out "Sakero, Hozukimaru (Split, Demon Light)! The spear separated into three parts, letting Ikkaku complete his downward momentum, leaving him back to back with Chad, Hozukimaru stretched over their shoulders, Chad still gripping the blade in his left hand, and Ikkaku holding onto the middle segment. Ikkaku reached back to grab the collar of Chad's shirt, and using both his grip on Hozukimaru and Chad himself, he yanked the Mexican youth forward. Chad was stronger, but Ikkaku had both the element of surprise and positional advantage, and Chad got flipped over. Once Chad was moving, Ikkaku let go of his shirt, bringing his free hand down to the end segment of Hozukimaru. Continuing to pull, he slammed Chad headfirst into the ground, then drove the end segment of Hozukimaru into the back of his neck. It was a testament to just how tough Chad's body was that his neck didn't snap. As it was, Chad's body folded over his head as Ikkaku ducked clear.

"That can't be all you have. You can't have broken into the Seireitei if I could take you out with one move." Chad slowly began to get up. "You're too slow. Those fists and blasts of yours only work if you can actually hit your opponent. The way it stands right now, you couldn't even beat Arimaki." The reference was lost on Chad, but by the tone of Ikkaku's voice, he guessed that it was an insult.

Standing up, Chad settled into a stance, Reiryoku steaming off both of his arms. Ikkaku smirked. "Not bad in the Reiatsu department, but you're still not fast enough to beat me." Chads response was a blast of white energy that Ikkaku swiftly sidestepped, darting forward to renew his attack. Hozukimaru's blade connected with Chad's fist, and the fight was started again.

Ganju had landed with Yoruichi, but the cat had disappeared before he could say a word. Sometimes he thought about just strangling the black feline. Sighing he moved along one wall. He may have hated Shinigami, but he knew what they could do, and he didn't want to get into a fight if he could avoid it.

"So, Captain Hitsugaya, what did you want to talk to us about?" Ukitake, Hitsugaya, and Kyoraku were currently in the tThirteenth Squad's office, Hitsugaya having said that he wanted to talk to them about something.

"In the Captains meeting, did either of you notice anything unusual?"

Kyoraku frowned, the expression looking rather unnatural on his face, then replied. "When Captain Aizen questioned Ichimaru, right there at the very end, I noticed that Ichimaru seemed to tense up."

Ukitake joined into the discussion. "Why would he tense up unless he-" The sickly Captain's voice broke off.

"Unless he was hiding something, something beyond simply the escape of the Ryoka." Kyoraku finished. "And with the way things are right now, it's highly possible that whatever he's trying to hide has something to do with all the inconsistencies that have plagued us lately."

"Why would him letting the Ryoka go have anything to do with that?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Maybe to cause confusion and distract everyone from something else." Kyoraku offered.

"Then there was the conversation that Aizen had with Ichimaru as we were leaving." Ukitake said.

"What conversation?" Kyoraku asked.

Doing his best to imitate the tones used, Hitsugaya repeated the conversation. _'Saved by the security alert. Convenient timing, eh, Ichimaru?'_

'_Why don't you just come out and say it? You're not making much sense.'_

'_You don't really think you'll get away with this, do you? Just remember, don't underestimate me, Ichimaru.'_

"Sounds like Aizen was upset at something Ichimaru had done." Kyoraku remarked. "It also sounds like he knows more than he's letting on."

"Aizen's given me the chills ever since the incident with Shinji Hirako and the rest of them a hundred years ago." Ukitake said.

"Ichimaru was Aizen's Lieutenant, if Ichimaru is in on something, Aizen probably is too." Kyoraku stated.

"We can't make that judgement yet." Hitsugaya said. "Although there is something I'd like to ask you."

Both of the older Captains turned questioning expressions to him. "Why did the alarm go off before the Ryoka actually penetrated the Seireitei? It was only after all of us had gotten outside and to our stations that the ball hit the membrane, and _that _was when the alarm should have been sounded."

"I'm not sure why the alarm went off beforehand. Although, what Aizen said _'Saved by the security alert. Convenient timing, eh, Ichimaru?' _sounds like either Aizen made the alert go off early, or he knew that Ichimaru had somehow done it."

Hitsugaya nodded, agreeing with Kyoraku's assessment. "However, even if they are up to something, it may not have anything to do with Rukia Kuchiki's execution. They may just be using the execution as cover for whatever they're planning, and not be involved in the execution itself. We're going to have to find out who is behind this before we-"

"Actually, little Shiro, I think we're going at this from the wrong direction." Ukitake said. Both the other captains turned to stare at him. "Just playing guessing games on who's behind it isn't going to help. It could be Central 46, it could be Aizen, it could be Mayuri, it could be almost anyone. I think the question we really need to be asking is 'why is someone going to such lengths to execute an unseated Shinigami?' If we can answer that, then we'll be able to prepare, no matter who's actually orchestrating events."

"You seem to be forgetting that establishing a motive is much easier when you know who's trying to kill someone. Unless we can narrow it down, we might as well not even try guessing a motive, because there's more motives than there are suspects. You're looking at this from a standpoint of 'who wants to kill an unseated Shinigami' when the reason could be more personal 'who wants to kill Rukia Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya countered.

That possibility set Ukitake on edge. Fortunately, Kyoraku came up with a compromise. "I'll tell you what. Nanao and I will look into the why part, and you two can keep working on the who. If we go at it from both angles, maybe we'll dig up something that would have otherwise been left buried." Ukitake and Hitsugaya looked at each other, then nodded.

"Alright. We'd better get back to our stations, and see if we can contain the Ryoka. I don't want to have to deal with them and dig up this conspiracy at the same time." Hitsugaya commented as he walked towards the door.

"They may be more involved in the conspiracy than you think, little Shiro." Ukitake said. "We haven't had a Ryoka invasion in over five hundred years, and now there's one just as Rukia is about to be executed. Sounds a little too coincidental to me. If they are here to rescue her, then I'd like to capture them, and see if we can get them to help us out. They'd be useful as diversions if nothing else."

Chad landed a punch, reinforced with Reiryoku, to Ikkaku's jaw. He'd taken some pretty heavy damage, and had burned through most of his power, but he finally connected to the surprisingly slippery bald Shinigami. Chad would swear the man was an acrobat, using his three-sectioned pole with surprising dexterity, weaving and countering almost everything that Chad threw at him. It had taken all the speed, skill and luck that Chad possessed to land a hit.

He'd seen Ikkaku coming from the side, Zanpakuto down. He waited until Ikkaku had gotten near him before grabbing onto the blade whit his left hand. Ikkaku jumped, using his zanpakuto to vault him over Chad's head. But that was what Chad had been waiting for. Instead of punching where Ikkaku was, he'd waited until he was in midair, with no chance to move out of the way, and had aimed his punch straight up. Ikkaku, looking down at him from his overhead position, had taken the hit straight on to the chin. The 'crack' as his fist impacted clearly said that Ikkaku had just gained a broken jaw.

Ikkaku landed in a crouch and, due to the pain, was a second slow in getting up. That second was all Chad needed to release the biggest blast he unleashed so far at the bald man. Ikkaku tried to jump out of the way, but the blast still caught his right side, burning into him. Ikkaku collapsed on one knee, still trying to stand, but it was obvious to both of them that the fight was over. As best he could manage around the broken jaw, he said "You are strong, I'll give you that." Right before his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.


	5. Seireitei Happenings

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Chad woke up to the feeling of gentle hands tending to the wound on his side. He stiffened, not knowing what was going on. "Ah, it's good to see you're awake." It was a soft voice, sounding male, but not by much. "Please stay still, I'm almost done healing you." Chad did as told, he couldn't feel any malicious intent coming from the person behind him. His face screwed up in concentration, trying to remember exactly how he had gotten here. After the fight with Ikkaku, he'd gotten away, not wanting reinforcements to arrive. Unfortunately, his wounds had kept bleeding, and even he had a limit. He'd found what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse and had barely managed to close the door before he'd collapsed on top of a crate.

He was in the Seireitei, which meant that if anyone found him, and the person who found him wasn't named Uryu, Ganju, or Yoruichi, then it was a Shinigami that found him. Before he could react to that line of thought, the voice behind him announced "All done."

Chad sat up, surprised that his body wasn't screaming at him in pain. Ikkaku had gotten him with two good slashes across his stomach, a wicked hit to the side of his rib cage, and a rather nasty gash down one thigh. He turned to look at his healer. He was small, more a boy than a man, with blue-black hair that hung limply around his face, droopy eyes, and a shy smile on his face. "Does anything else still hurt?" He questioned. Chad noticed that the elbow length gloves he was wearing had blood on the hands.

Chad shook his head no. "Well, good. My name is Hanataro Yamada. I'm glad you're all right. By any chance, is your name Chad?"

"How do you know my name?" Chad asked the young Shinigami standing in front of him, his voice guarded. He was a couple of words away from transforming his arms, regardless of his weakened state.

Hanataro flushed and responded shakily. "Well, when Rukia was telling me stories about the world of the living, she mentioned a few people repeatedly. One was this boy that she said she gave her Shinigami powers to. Another was a boy who she said was a Quincy." He gave a brief laugh. "That one startled me, I thought that the Quincy were extinct. Not that I'm not happy to hear that they're not. I don't like killing." He went silent for a moment. "The last one she talked about was this big guy, she said that he saved her life against a Hollow. She said that he was tall, gave off an aura of calmness, and that once you met him, you couldn't forget him." Hanataro glanced at the Mexican across from him. "When I saw you, lying here in your own blood, I knew I couldn't just leave you to die."

He stopped, trying to gather the courage to ask the question. "Are you here to save miss Rukia? Please say that you're here to rescue her!"

Chad was slightly taken back by the boy's eagerness and desperation. "Yes. Uryu, myself, Ganju and Yoruichi have come here to rescue Rukia Kuchiki."

Hanataro's eyes grew wide. "Yoruichi? Yoruichi Shihouin? She's with you? Wow, rescuing Rukia will be easy."

"No. Our Yoruichi is a cat. And male." Chad said.

"Oh." Hanataro visibly deflated. There was silence for a couple of seconds.

"Hanataro, how long have I been out for?" Chad questioned.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure, but you were unconscious for almost a day after I found you." Chad's eyes widened. A whole day? How long was left until Rukia's execution?

"How long until Rukia's execution?"

Hanataro let his eyes drop. "Three days."

The finality of the statement hit Chad like a freight train. He stood up, stretching to loosen up.

"Do you know where Rukia Kuchiki is being held?"

"Y-yes." Hanataro stammered. "There's a large white tower south of here. It's called the Senzaikyuu. Rukia's being held there in preparation for the execution."

"Can you show me the roads to get there?"

Hanataro looked down. "Yes, but they're likely to be guarding all the roads that lead directly to the Senzaikyuu." He took a deep breath. "If you will trust me, I can show you another way to get to the Senzaikyuu. A route that avoids the patrols."

Kenpachi Zaraki strode down the wing of Fourth Squad treatment area. There weren't very many people in the hallways, but the few that were there dashed into rooms as he came near.

The sadistic grin plastered on his face probably had something to do with that.

Captain Ukitake had just paid him a visit, and while Kenpachi couldn't have cared less about the Kuchiki girl or the conspiracy, there was one part that had him nearly drooling.

Fighting the other Captains. With no restrictions. He was itching to take on the old fart. Or the Captain of the Squad who's building he was currently in. Retsu Unohana. She'd always rubbed him the wrong way. Or maybe that damned coward in Squad Nine. All it would take is one more insult to Squad Eleven from that preacher and Zaraki would have his head on execution day.

He didn't even notice the weight of Yachiru hanging on his shoulder as he reached the room where Ikkaku was staying. Why should he? She'd only been hanging off his shoulder for the last century and a half.

He opened the door, walking in on his injured Third Seat. The hulking Captain took one look at the mess of bandages that was his subordinate and snorted.

"Well, you certainly got beaten up." It was true, Ikkaku's right side was nothing but a mass of injuries. His right arm had been smashed, his skin was scorched and his ribs, although not broken, were heavily bruised. It was a wonder that he'd survived long enough for the medics to get there.

Zaraki closed the door as Ikkaku grinned wryly. "Nice of you to visit." Fortunately, his jaw had just been cracked, not shattered, so he was still able to talk. Much to the annoyance of the Squad Four members that attended to him.

"Hey, baldy!" Yachiru popped up.

"I asked you not to call me that." Ikkaku said, the grin disappearing from his face.

"Oh, should it Mr. Baldy?" Ikkaku actually started growling. "Or how about Mr. Shiny Baldy?"

"Why you little-"

"Watch the language around Yachiru." Kenpachi warned.

Ikkaku subsided, glaring fiercely at the pink-haired Lieutenant, who stuck her tongue out at him.

Right as it looked like Ikkaku was going to jump out of bed and attack the little terror, injuries be damned, Kenpachi asked him a question.

"Who was the guy who fought you?"

Ikkaku gazed at his Captain, then squinted his eyes as he remembered what had happened. "It was a big guy, almost as big as you. He wore a white shirt with a red line on it, had dark hair and he fought by transforming his arms."

Zaraki looked hard at him. "What do you mean 'transforming his arms'?"

"Exactly that, Captain. His arms became covered in black armor with red designs on them, his strength was incredibly high, and he was able to fire some form of Kido blasts from his fists without any incantation or even naming the spell. In fact, if I had to put it in with something I've seen, I'd say it looked almost like a cero."

"How strong is he, exactly?"

"Very strong. Easily capable of fighting a Lieutenant on even grounds. And I don't believe he's at his limit. He was able to take several hits from Hozukimaru and keep on fighting, and most of my injuries were caused by one hit."

Zaraki grinned, a deep-throated chuckle reverberating throughout the room. "How long before you'll be healed?"

"I should be completely fine by the execution."

"Good." Zaraki glanced around to make sure that no one was around. "I have a job for you there." Ikkaku's grin couldn't have gotten any broader.

Uryu felt an enormous source of Reiatsu close by, and instinctively ducked into an empty doorway. _'That much power almost has to be a Captain.'_ He thought, suppressing his own Reiatsu down as low as he could get it. After a few minutes, the source faded. _'Must have left, how fortunate.' _Relaxing he stepped away from the wall…

And barely managed to duck a kick that threatened to take his head off. Reiatsu flaring, he summoned his bow, the wing of compressed Reiatsu stretching out from his back as he turned to face his foe.

His opponent was a short young woman with a white Captain's overcoat tied at the waist with a yellow sash, short blue-black hair with two long braids wrapped in white cloth. A Zanpakuto was strapped across her back at waist level.

"A Quincy." She stated, eyes hard. "Have you Quincy become so consumed by your hatred of the Shinigami that you now attack Soul Society?"

Uryu snarled a reply. "You massacred us! We never attacked any of the Shinigami, we never did anything but protect people from Hollows, and you slaughtered us like animals! Did you really think that it would all be swept under the rug? Did you really think that there would never be retribution for what you did? Every last one of you deserves to be killed."

"The Quincy were never necessary, the Shinigami could protect people from Hollows, but you chose to get involved in things that had nothing to do with you. If you had been left unchecked, you would have destroyed the balance that we work so hard to maintain. All you had to do was simply give up, not fight the Hollows any longer, and you would have been left alone, but you refused every attempt at negotiation, and in the end, your deaths were necessary to the survival of the world. And when the war was over, and we granted the survivors amnesty, look how you repay us! You have invaded the Seireitei, attempted to kill Shinigami, the ones who protect people from Hollows, and have insulted the pride that we of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads possess. You have squandered our mercy, and now you shall pay the price for your actions."

"Oh, and Ikkaku." Ikkaku looked back at his captain. Zaraki leaned close to the bald-headed man. "If you need to, don't hesitate to use your Bankai." Ikkaku jerked back like he'd been struck.

"How do you-"

"Oh, please Ikkaku, I don't like thinking but that doesn't mean I can't. Besides, do you think there's anything that goes on in my squad that I don't know about?"

Ikkaku was silent for a few moments. "I thought that you were opposed to members of your squad using Shikai, let alone Bankai."

"I don't want members of my squad relying on them if they're too weak to fight without them." _'I don't need to use mine.'_

Zaraki grinned a wide, bloodthirsty smile as something occurred to him. _'I need to talk to Ukitake before he takes out that damned shield. I'll handle Soukyoku.' _As his captain turned and walked out of the room, Ikkaku's eyes followed him uneasily.

'_I wonder what's got him in such a good mood?' _Ikkaku thought. _'Just the news about the Ryoka shouldn't get him that happy.' _Ikkaku shuddered. _'On second thought, I don't even want to know what's got him that happy.'_

"Are you serious, Captain Zaraki?" Ukitake questioned. "I know you have more Reiatsu than most Captains, even with the eyepatch on, but Soukyoku has the explosive power of a million Zanpakuto. You can't stop it with just one unreleased Zanpakuto." Zaraki was in Ukitake's office under the pretext of getting more candy for Yachiru.

"Who says my Zanpakuto is going to be unreleased when Soukyoku hits it? I'll handle it. My Zanpakuto's ability makes it perfectly suited to taking out the Soukyoku." The other Captain looked at him dubiously.

"You don't have Shikai, Zaraki." He'd always been unnaturally proud of the fact that he'd never released his Zanpakuto.

"Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Zaraki grinned. "But don't worry, I'll leave some of the other Captains for you." Turning on one heel, he strode out of Ukitake's office. _'Now to go find that Ryoka that beat up Ikkaku. I need something to tide me over until the execution.'_

Uryu watched his opponent for that slight tensing of muscle that meant she was about to move. Seeing it, he gathered Reiryoku under his feet, forming the Hirenkyaku even as she shot off in Shunpo.

A slash from her Zanpakuto missed his head by an inch. An arrow from his bow just grazed the underside of her chin. He barely ducked her kick, the wall behind him demolished from the force. She slid gracefully under the blast of blue energy that he sent flying at her, a building behind them vaporized by the power.

Attack, defend, counterattack, dodge, the two of them clashed and broke apart in a dance that anyone less powerful than a Captain couldn't even begin to follow. The landscape around them was torn to shreds, Uryu's attacks creating gouges in the ground, Soi Fon's attacks demolishing the buildings around them.

When they finally stopped, both of them were still uninjured, but they were panting like they'd just run a race. Soi Fon straightened. "I didn't want to use this, but you leave me no choice, Quincy." She held out her Zanpakuto. "Jinteki Shakusetsu, Suzumebachi (Sting all enemies to death, Hornet)." Her Zanpakuto glowed as it changed, the hilt wrapping around her arm, the blade shortening and coming to a point, black and gold swirling around each other.

Uryu impassively watched, mind calculating as her short sword became a stinger that covered her middle finger. "If I hit you twice with this, it's over." The woman stated, her eyes hard chips of blue agate.

"A pity then, because you're not going to hit me even once." She blurred out of existence, Ishida instantly using Hirenkyaku to dodge the stab that was aimed at his midsection, firing three quick arrows, which the captain batted aside with her Zanpakuto. She appeared in front of Uryu, hand already extended for a thrust. The strike barely grazed is stomach, but he felt a scratch and cursed mentally. She was faster than he thought.

Glancing down, he caught a glimpse of a black butterfly on his stomach, the dark color starkly contrasting the white of his Quincy uniform.

"That mark is the first step of my Shikai. The mark shows where you've been hit. If I hit you there again, it's instant death." A small smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.

Uryu gritted his teeth. "In that case." He ground out. "You won't get the chance." He brought his bow back up, and the fight was on again.

Uryu dodged another quick blow from the crazy lady's Zanpakuto, the stinger hissing as it passed through the air. He drew his bow and launched a shot at her, but she just dodged, her small form weaving around any shot he fired. The workings of a plan began to filter through his mind, but he needed to back her into a corner for it.

The wing on his back grew even brighter as he drew in more Reiryoku from the area around him, thankfully Soul Society had a much higher concentration of it than the human world did. Looking around as best he could, for he didn't dare take his eyes off his opponent for more than an instant, he saw what he needed. Two of the buildings that had already been demolished by their battle had fallen into each other, creating a small opening that led to a dead-end. Even exiting from above was impossible, one of the destroyed buildings overhung it.

The problem was backing her in there. She was incredibly fast, on the same level as himself, and she had already demonstrated exceptional situational awareness. Uryu's eyes narrowed. Gathering all the power he had available to him, he attacked, exploiting the one weakness that Shunpo had that Hirenkyaku didn't.

Moving to the left, he launched an arrow. Like she had done before, she ducked, but that was exactly what he wanted her to do. He had noticed that she liked ducking under attacks, probably because she was so short to begin with. He let another arrow fly, aimed at her but slightly to the left, making it easier for her to dodge to the right, which she did. That action brought her behind some rubble from one of the structures that they destroyed, blocking her from Ishida's view for a second.

This was the gamble. Uryu was banking that she would come out in Shunpo from the other side of the rubble, lining herself up with him. If he could catch her there, with the rubble blocking her on one side, he could shoot two arrows, one a little high, the other aimed at about her midsection, she'd be forced to dodge into the blind canyon that the destroyed houses had created. Moving as fast as she was, he hoped she wouldn't realize that it was a dead end until he got her in there, otherwise she'd probably have a nasty counterattack waiting for him.

Sure enough, he caught the blur that was his opponent as she came speeding around the corner, his bow already releasing the first arrow, aimed above her, she ducked slightly and continued to move towards him. He shot the second arrow, forming the Hirenkyaku under his feet as soon as the arrow was released.

Soi Fon saw the second arrow and realized that she was in a trap. Glancing around quickly, she evaluated her options. _'Can't go left, there's rubble in the way. Can't go up, the other arrow will hit me. Can't go down, not enough room.'_ Her eyes caught an opening in the rubble to her right. _'You didn't think of everything, Quincy, although I'll give you some credit for effort.' _She didn't even notice that Uryu was right behind his arrow.

Sliding into the opening, she came to a stop as she realized that it was a dead end. She turned around, to find the Quincy standing right behind her, arrow pointed straight at her heart.

"You lose, Shinigami." The arrow flew at her.

Squad Two's patrol area was bordered by Squad Five and Squad Thirteen. Jushiro Ukitake was on his way to where he sensed the battle was at. The two of them were releasing so much power that nobody wanted to go anywhere near the battlefield. He could tell that Soi Fon was in battle with one of the Ryoka, but damn was he powerful, to make her work like that. She hadn't released her Bankai yet, but he could tell she was feeling the pressure.

Ukitake wanted to get there and hopefully capture the Ryoka and convince him to help them. He coughed into his hand, and hoped that the Ryoka would knock out Soi Fon-not kill her, he didn't want that-but knock her out, and have the Ryoka sufficiently weakened that he would be able the capture him.

His thoughts were interrupted as a bolt of pure white lightning shot up into the sky, and Soi Fon's power went so high that even Zaraki would have had trouble matching it without pulling off the eyepatch.

_'Did she just go Bankai? No, it doesn't feel like Bankai, her Zanpakuto isn't giving off any more power that it was, so what is she doing?'_

The arrow was knocked off course an instant before it broke apart, her glowing hand destabilizing the Reiryoku used to form it. Her other hand shot forward, and Uryu used Hirenkyaku to dodge the bolt of condensed Reiryoku that shot forward from her hand. He brought his bow up and fired four shots in rapid succession, all of which she batted contemptuously away with her free hand.

_'What the hell did she just do? I had her backed into a corner with no way out, then her power goes so high that it blows the uniform right off her back and suddenly she's able to block my arrows with her bare hands.' _Dodging two more blasts of the strange Kido-based lightning, she appeared before him, arm held behind her, said arm thrusting forward to hit him in the stomach, the same place that she hit him originally.

_'Oh no, you aren't getting me that easily, Shinigami.'_ In a move that surprised even himself, he spun the bow in his hand, lashing out with his arm. Soi Fon, not expecting the move, didn't even try to block it as the end of the bow clubbed into the side of her head. Uryu used Hirenkyaku to dodge to the left as he struck, trailing his foot behind him so that she would trip and fall the way he wanted her to, with her feet towards him.

Uryu brought his other hand up, not giving her time to recover as he shot another arrow at her. Despite her ears still ringing from the hit, she still had the presence of mind to feed power down to her legs, kicking out and dispelling the arrow. _'She can do that shit with her feet too?' _She sprang up, feet covered by the lightning, Uryu just barely managing to get to side before they connected. Her hand, stinger equipped, shot out to hit him, and he physically parried with the bow. She shot past him before either one could do anything else.

Turning to face her, Uryu found his opponent already on the offensive as she flipped forward in an impressive display of acrobatics. He fired several arrows at her, but she batted them all aside and as she landed a foot covered in raw Reiryoku came down, missing his skull by a hairs breadth, and that was only because he'd dodged backwards as she attacked.

Not giving him time to recover, she dropped into a wicked helicopter kick, balancing on her hands as lightning arced out from her spinning legs, a torrent of destructive power that had Uryu totally on the defensive. The Quincy was pulling every bit of power that he could from the surrounding area, even taking some of the less concentrated power from the Shinigami's explosive attack in an effort to create a barrier that could withstand the force.

After what seemed like an age to Uryu, the onslaught finally died down. He stood there panting, warily watching for an attack, but she seemed to be winded, too. "You're pretty good, Shinigami."

She gave him a wry smile. "As are you, Quincy. What's your name?"

"Uryu Ishida."

"I'm Captain of Squad Two and the head of the Punishment Force, Soi Fon." Her voice held unmistakable pride.

Uryu decided to increase his power. He'd been holding back, trying not to kill her, but as much as he hated to admit it, she was damned powerful, and he'd need to go all out to beat her. Even if she got killed in the process.

"Tell me something." He said conversationally, getting ready for his attack. "do you know why Hirenkyaku is a superior technique to Shunpo?" At the slight narrowing of her eyes he continued. "It's not in the speed. Rather, Hirenkyaku grants a superior ability to adapt. Something that Quincies have always excelled at." Seeing that he had her attention, he went on with his explanation.

"Shunpo works by using your own Reiatsu to super-enhance your movement speed. However, the nerves in your body can't transmit information fast enough to allow you to move freely, so a Shinigami using Shunpo must-hmm, how shall I put this-preprogram the movements that they want to make before they activate Shunpo."

"Hirenkyaku works by creating a current of Reiryoku under the feet. The rest of the body is still moving at normal speed, however, unlike with Shunpo, we are able to control our movements even when in the technique, allowing us to adapt to what is happening. However, because of the fact that the rest of the body is moving at regular speed, we have to have a superior sense of timing, and are exceptionally aware of our surroundings at all times."

"Now, the true power of the Hirenkyaku is when it's combined with another Quincy technique. A technique called Ransotengai. This involves taking small strings made from Reiryoku, bundling them together, and attaching them to the limbs to forcibly move them. The technique was originally developed by older Quincy, so that they could continue fighting, even with the decrease in physical abilities that comes with age." As he was speaking, Uryu was doing just that, forming the Ransotengai all over his body. "The Ransotengai is also used to overcome injuries, allowing a Quincy to fight until he's literally dead on his feet."

"Then why are you activating it now?" Soi Fon wasn't going to attack until he was ready. She wanted to crush him at full power.

"The reason is because one Quincy, far back in history, discovered something. He was an older man, who had been injured in a fight with a hollow, and was using Ransotengai on his left arm, which was the arm that he was using to fire his bow. He discovered that when using Ransotengai on a limb, he was able to bypass the synapses that ordinarily control movement, allowing him to move far faster than he was capable of without it. Later that day, using the combination of Hirenkyaku for speed, and Ransotengai to allow his body to keep up with said speed, he was able to repel a full scale Hollow invasion."

Throughout his explanation, his opponent's eyes had kept getting wider as she comprehended what he was doing. Or rather, what he was about to do.

"There's just one more thing. A Quincy uses Reiryoku gathered from the ambient environment in order to fight. One of the greatest sources of this is Reishi, or spirit particles. Everything spiritually based is made from this. Since Soul Society is a spiritual world, how much power do you think I have available around me?" As he was speaking, the buildings around him began to break apart, being absorbed into the quiver on his back. "And the more powerful the Quincy, the more power they are capable of absorbing and" he held up his hand "the more power they are capable infusing into their arrows."

Earlier he had been using the standard blue arrows, not wanting to actually kill her. But now, he wasn't going easy. He was going to win, even if she had to die for him to do it. The hard, fully solid, bronze-silver arrow was formed, and he notched it quickly. "Block this." He said as he let it fly.

Soi Fon brought her hand, charged with the white energy up to block, but this time the arrow didn't disperse when it hit. Furthermore, without knowing exactly what she was doing to the arrow, she didn't predict what happened, and thus was unprepared for when it exploded with terrible force.

Uryu smiled in satisfaction when the arrow detonated. The arrow had left a trench nearly a foot deep just from the aura around it, and, just as he'd intended, she had attempted to block the arrow. He had concentrated a nearly inconceivable amount of power into that arrow, and when she disrupted that concentration it had all been released in one explosive burst. Soi Fon was sent flying backwards by the explosion, the front of her body burned by the concentrated Reiryoku.

Uryu wasn't going to give her another chance. Activating the Hirenkyaku, he pulled back another arrow, this one with far less power than the previous one. He still wasn't trying to kill her after all. Damn that promise to Urahara.

The arrow caught her across the abdomen, just catching the outside so that the hole created wouldn't be fatal. It still left her in pretty bad shape, and as she slid across the ground, Uryu slammed the end of his bow into her head. The impact, compounded by the pain and shock of her injury, sent her past her limits, and into unconsciousness.

Uryu took a moment to regain his breath. Damned was she one tough opponent. She was just about as fast as he was, and if he'd taken another hit from that Zanpakuto of hers… He looked down and winced. That damned mark was still there, but with any luck she'd be out of it until he was all done here. He eyed the blood that was pooling underneath her.

_'Shit, now I'll have to find another Shinigami in order to make sure she gets medical attention. Goddamn I hate that promise that Urahara extracted from me.' _Confident that he could handle anything short of a Captain that he ran into, he set off to search for someone to get Soi Fon medical attention, another person blurred into existence in front of him. Leaping back, Uryu's mind began to calculate.

The man in front of him had long white hair, soft brown eyes, and was wearing a white overcoat much like Soifon had. _'Probably another Captain, just what I needed. Especially since I'm already tired from my fight.' _Reiryoku swirled around him.

The Captain held up a hand. "Please, I'm not here to fight. My name is Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad Thirteen. I'm also Rukia's superior officer." At the surprise that clearly showed in Uryu's face, he continued. "I see the name is familiar to you. You came here from the mortal world to rescue her, didn't you? I can't think of any other reason you'd come here. Quincy can't open a gate by themselves, which means you got Urahara's help, and he wouldn't help you if you were just coming here to slaughter some Shinigami."

Uryu scowled. "How do you know Urahara?"

Jushiro smiled. "Urahara was the previous Squad Twelve Captain." Uryu choked. He knew that the man was a former Shinigami, but a former Captain? "Yes, he was banished because of some rather unfortunate incidents. But I digress." He straightened up. "I am attempting to stop Rukia's execution. If you are willing to help me, perhaps we can succeed together."

"I am a Quincy, second on the Shinigami hit list only behind Hollows. Why do you want my help?" Uryu asked warily.

"Because you are very powerful, to fight and defeat a Captain is a very impressive achievement, even if she didn't use Bankai. Besides, two people working towards a common goal shouldn't be enemies."

"Bankai? What is Bankai?" Seeing an opening, Jushiro exploited it.

"If you'll return with me to the Squad Thirteen office, I'll tell you." Seeing Uryu's look of distrust, he raised his hand. "I swear, upon my honor as a Captain of the Gotei 13, that you will not be held captive, nor will you be harmed unless you attack me first." Uryu's bow wavered.

"How do we get there? And before we leave, we have to get her medical attention." Ukitake was a little surprised that the Quincy wanted to have Soi Fon healed up, but he nodded.

"I am proficient in healing Kido. I can heal her." Uryu nodded stiffly and motioned for him to get on with it. Ukitake sighed internally, for he could already tell that this boy was going to be a joy to work with. If he was able to convince him to work with them in the first place. He stepped over to Soi Fon, and his hands began to emit Reiryoku, slowing down the bleeding and stabilizing her condition. Standing up, he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, coughing a little as he did so.

"She's stable. She'll be alright until someone comes for her."

"How are we going to get back to your office?"

At this Ukitake looked a little nervous. "I'm going to have to carry you. We can't walk there, and if you use Hirenkyaku to keep up, you'll let everyone know where you are, and that I'm with you." Uryu's gaze was as frigid as Hitsugaya's Bankai.

'_Why the hell did I agree to this?'_ Uryu thought to himself. He was basically trapped in this Ukitake guy's office, unable to leave unless he wanted somebody to spot him, while his captor, if he could really call him that, was off getting some other Captain that was also trying to stop the execution…

Uryu buried his head in his hands. How the hell had this damned thing gotten so fucking complicated? Initially it was a simple break and enter. Break into Soul Society, crush anything that got in their way, rescue Rukia, and go home.

Now, he was about to work with a Captain, and not just any Captain, _Rukia's_ Captain. And if that wasn't bad enough, apparently there were even more Captains that were involved. He just hoped one of them wasn't Byakuya Kuchiki. If he had to be in proximity with that bastard Uryu would kill him, Rukia's brother or no._ He_ was the reason Ichigo Kurosaki was dead.

He lifted his head. He'd cross that bridge when it came. Glancing around the office, he took in his surroundings.

A small desk made of some type of dark wood was in the corner. A painting hung on the wall, the scene of the sea at dawn, a few islands dotting the water. The walls were white, and a small lamp was on the desk. The floor was of some kind of lighter wood than the desk was, and the whole place gave off a vibe that it wasn't really used much. There was a light coating of dust on most of the things in the room. Although, he reasoned, if the Captain was sick all the time then he wouldn't be using the office much.

He knew a lot about diseases thanks to his father, and what the sickly Captain had definitely sounded like tuberculosis. Speaking of said sickly Captain, he heard a cough from outside the door, and the low murmuring of someone else's voice. Pressing himself against the wall and lowering his Reiatsu as much as possible, trying not to draw attention, just in case someone other than that other Captain that Ukitake was going to go get was with him.

The door slid open and he could feel two sources of Reiatsu enter. "It's alright Uryu, there's no one but me and the other Captain."

Stepping away from the wall, Uryu's first impression was height. Or lack thereof. He found himself staring at a…kid for lack of a better word. White hair, frost green eyes, and looking like he should be in middle school.

But he did have a Captain's overcoat and a Zanpakuto strapped to his back. "Uryu, I'd like you to meet the Captain of Squad Ten, Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Hanataro pushed up on the flagstone, raising it just enough that he could peek outside. "Alright, it doesn't look like there's anyone around." Chad brought one arm up and pushed the flagstone completely over.

As they both climbed out of the sewer, Chad directed his attention to Hanataro. "So where do we go from here?"

Hanataro pointed up at the large cliff that rose out of the center of the Seireitei. "That white tower is the Senzaikyuu. It's where Rukia is being held. This is the closest exit to it from the sewer system."

"It's still really far off. Is there any route we can take to dodge the Shinigami?"

"No, from here on in we just have to run straight through and hope nobody crosses our path."

Chad nodded in acceptance. "Then let's go."

Kenpachi Zaraki was sitting atop a building that overlooked two of the four paths leading up to the Senzaikyuu. If these Ryoka were really trying to save the Kuchiki girl, they'd have to come by this way. He was hoping he'd get to fight the one that beat Ikkaku. According to his Third Seat the guy hit like a ton of lead, and could take some pretty heavy damage as well. It was just the kind of fight he needed to tide him over until the execution.

He let his mind wander back to the first and only time that he'd used his Zanpakuto's Shikai. Afterwards he'd resolved never to use it unless he would die if he didn't. He was a hard man, reveled in the carnage and bloodshed of war, but that had been a little much. There wasn't enough left of the poor guy to make a meal for a shrimp.

The wind blew through his hair, making his bells ring as he waited for the Ryoka to arrive so he could have a bit of fun. Yachiru was on his back, being quiet for once, so he was just waiting. Bored out of his mind.

Kenpachi perked up suddenly. One of the lesser known things about the Eleventh Squad Captain was that although he couldn't sense Reiatsu at all, he had an instinct for battle that was second to none. It was like he could smell when a strong opponent was nearby. And that little tingling in the back of his head was going off like crazy. The Ryoka was getting close. He could feel it in his bones.

Looking out at the staircase, he saw two figures, reduced to little more than ants by the distance, coming up. Coming towards him. His lips split apart in a menacing grin. It was time to play.

Ukitake looked expectantly at Uryu, whose face was set into a frown. He, with occasional input from Hitsugaya had explained the whole situation in the Seireitei to the Quincy.

"So, to summarize, you think that there is a conspiracy in the Seireitei, and it probably involves the very highest echelons of Soul Society." Both Captains nodded. "You think that they have something to gain by executing Rukia, hence the reason for all of the irregular procedures surrounding her since she was brought back to Soul Society." Both Captains nodded again. " And if you can't get them to stop, you're going to crash the execution and basically plunge Soul Society into civil war?"

When both of the Captains affirmed, Uryu had to resist the urge to scream aloud in frustration. He might have thought this before, but he did it again anyway. Why did shit have to be so damned complicated? He straightened as he remembered something.

"What is Bankai?" Uryu asked, remembering that Ukitake had promised to explain it to him.

Hitsugaya answered the question. "Bankai is the second stage of Zanpakuto release. Usually it creates some sort of massive creature or effect. Typically speaking, only Captains can use it. Most of the time it multiplies the wielders strength by between five and ten times."

Uryu's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Five to ten _times?_ If Soi Fon had pulled that against him he would have been crushed. _'If there's going to be a free-for-all between the Captains at the execution, and they start pulling out their Bankais, I won't survive getting caught in the middle. And since anything I tried by myself to free her would put me in the crossfire, I guess the only way to do this is to work with them, regardless of how much I hate Shinigami.'_

Uryu gritted his teeth as he asked "What do you need me to do?"


	6. Vasto Lorde

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

"What the hell do you mean you're giving up?" Ichigo exploded.

"Exactly that." Shawlong said calmly. The tall, skeletal Adjuchas turned his head towards Grimmjow. "Do you know how long it's been since we first began traveling together, Grimmjow?"

The panther shrugged. "Not a fucking clue. Why?"

"It's been nearly fifteen years. We've had over three thousand meals. None of us could feel our power growing after the thousandth. We are not destined to become Vasto Lorde. Those that could were determined back when we were still normal Hollows. Or perhaps even before then. Ever since we became Hollows, it has been our destiny to become Adjuchas, and then go no farther. You, Grimmjow, and Ichigo as well, are far stronger than we are. The two of you must continue your journey alone."

"So that's it? You're just giving up?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"Screw 'em, Ichigo." Grimmjow growled. "If they want to give up they're more than welcome to go die in a ditch somewhere. We don't need 'em."

Grimmjow turned and began to walk away. After a few seconds of indecision, Ichigo followed him.

"Before you go, there is one more thing." Shawlong said. "When a Hollow has part of itself devoured by another Hollow of the same evolutionary level, its evolution halts forever. Di Roy is unable to ever advance to Vasto Lorde or revert to Gillian because Grimmjow devoured a part of him. So before you go, I ask for one final favor. Allow us to assist you on your journey." Shawlong's eyes were steady. "Devour us."

"You're not serious!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Grimmjow hit Shawlong like a ton of lead, knocking the other Adjuchas onto the ground before tearing a piece out of him. Before he'd finished swallowing he jumped onto Edorad, sinking his claws into one of Edorad's arms, tearing off another mouthful. Throwing his head back to swallow on the run, Illifort Granz was Grimmjow's next victim, and he, like Shawlong and Edorad, put up no resistance.

Ichigo snarled as he grabbed Shawlong, easily lifting the much larger Adjuchas completely off the ground. "You think you can't win, so you're just giving up? You're the biggest waste of space I've met in my entire life. If you think it'll be easier, then go ahead and die!"

When all of the Adjuchas present besides Ichigo and Grimmjow had at least two bites taken out of them, Grimmjow snarled in disgust and took off into the desert before anyone could say anything else, Ichigo right beside him.

"Can you believe that?" Ichigo finally said.

"Considering that I can't hear the voices in my head thanks to the fact I just ate Shawlong, Illifort, Edorad and Nakim, yeah, I can believe it."

"That wasn't what I meant." Ichigo glanced over. "I meant I can't believe that they just gave up."

"They didn't have the strength required, either mental or physical, to make the journey to Vasto Lorde."

Ichigo shrugged as he kept running. "You realize we're going to have to be more careful from here on out. We can't afford a repeat of Zommari now that we don't have anyone to watch our backs."

"I never figured you for a coward." Grimmjow said snidely.

"I'm not a fucking coward, there's nothing cowardly about a little good sense."

"Whatever you say."

The two of them ran for several more minutes in silence. "Hey, Grimmjow."

"What?"

"You remember when you asked me if I had a shortcut for becoming Vasto Lorde?"

"What of it?"

"Well, I think I've got one."

Grimmjow skidded to a halt. "You did just say what I think you said, right?"

"Yeah, I think I've got a shortcut for becoming Vasto Lorde."

"Well, don't just stand there looking smug, spit it out." Grimmjow growled.

"If a normal Hollow devours a Gillian, that Hollow becomes a Gillian. If a Gillian devours an Adjuchas, the Gillian becomes an Adjuchas. So, in keeping with the tradition, what's the quickest way to become Vasto Lorde?"

Grimmjow shook his head vehemently. "Fuck no! You are fucking crazy. Those guys are at the top of Hueco Mundo for a reason. Have you ever met a Shinigami Captain? I have, and that was the closest I've ever come to death, even closer than when you hit me with your Ceros. Vasto Lorde are better than Shinigami Captains in every way. Two Adjuchas don't stand a chance in hell against one of them."

Ichigo looked sidelong at Grimmjow, and the panther got the distinct impression that Ichigo was sneering at him. "Why, Grimmjow." Ichigo began, his voice filled with scorn. "I never figured you for a coward." Grimmjow froze as his own words were thrown back in his face.

"There's nothing cowardly about a little good sense." Grimmjow shot back, mimicking what Ichigo had said just a few minutes before.

"You've been an Adjuchas for what, twenty years? Shawlong said it's been around fifteen since you joined up with his little group, and you must have been an Adjuchas before that. Aren't you tired of eating endlessly and never seeming to get any closer to Vasto Lorde? Aren't you tired of constantly worrying if the other Hollows in your head will overtake you? Aren't you tired of not being at the top even after all the work you've done and all the pain you've suffered?" Grimmjow said nothing.

Ichigo took a step forward. "We can take them. We're far stronger than any normal Adjuchas." Grimmjow was still silent. "Unless you prefer not being the strongest. Unless you're too much of a coward to take the risks needed to become strong."

"ENOUGH!" Grimmjow roared. He looked at Ichigo, mask twisted into a snarl. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

Ichigo grinned.

"Alright, smartass, where are the Vasto Lorde?" Grimmjow asked. "The deepest parts of Hueco Mundo is still a hell of a lot of space to cover."

Ichigo sat down, one hand under he chin as he pondered the question.

"How well do the Vasto Lorde get along with each other?"

Grimmjow snorted. "Well, never having met one, I can't say for sure, but from everything I've ever heard they absolutely loathe one another. Considering that the only thing that really stands a chance against a Vasto Lorde is another Vasto Lorde, they fear each other because the other Vasto Lorde are the only things that could kill them. And as we all know, no one likes to give up power."

"Well, if they hate and fear each other as much as you say they do, then they're going to be spread out. I know for damn sure I wouldn't stay anywhere near someone I hated and feared, so we have a little bit better chances of running across one. And we have the advantage that none of the others are going to come running to help whichever one we attack." Ichigo commented.

Grimmjow grunted when Ichigo asked another question. "How many Vasto Lorde are there?"

"Nobody knows for sure, but the latest rumor I heard puts it at four Vasto Lorde Hollows and one really old dude who became an Arrancar shortly after an Espada named Aaroniero got himself killed."

"What's an Arrancar and an Espada?"

"I forgot you haven't been here very long. Arrancar are Hollows who remove their masks and gain Shinigami powers. Unfortunately, once you do that, you can never evolve again. So if you're an Adjuchas when you become an Arrancar, you stay an Adjuchas forever. Plus, from what I've heard, unless you get lucky, there's not really that big of an increase in your strength. It's kind of hit or miss, which is why most Hollows don't want become Arrancar. The only real exception to that is Vasto Lorde. They can't go up, and becoming an Arrancar halts their evolution, so they can't go down, and they might even get more power in the bargain."

"Then why are there any Vasto Lorde left as Hollows?"

"The biggest reason is that it takes a long time for the process of becoming an Arrancar to be completed, and you're helpless while you're transforming. And with the bad blood between the Vasto Lorde, leaving yourself open like that is suicide. As for the Vasto Lorde that did become an Arrancar, I think he found himself someplace to hide while he was transforming, he may have even gotten one of the Espada to cover for him."

Ichigo looked confused. "Espada?"

"The ten strongest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo. From what I understand they were formed way back before the first Vasto Lorde was created. Supposedly they were a group of Adjuchas who thought that they couldn't get any stronger simply by devouring Hollows, so they tried to gain the powers of a Shinigami. One of them got the bright idea that maybe it was their masks that were preventing them from gaining Shinigami powers and with the others covering him, he became the very first Arrancar. For a while they ruled over Hueco Mundo, but once the first Adjuchas became a Vasto Lorde, their power broke damn quick. Now the Espada just sit in Las Noches and pretend that they're the kings of Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo was silent for a few moments. "Do you think there's another level beyond Vasto Lorde?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Probably, but no one will ever achieve it."

"Why not?"

Grimmjow gave Ichigo a withering glare. "Think about it. As an Adjuchas I've devoured over three thousand other Adjuchas just when I was with Shawlong and his little gang, and I probably devoured at least another thousand before I joined them, and I still haven't evolved. Since the very first Vasto Lorde was discovered, there has been a grand total of less than fifty Vasto Lorde in the history of Hueco Mundo. The only reason why all of them aren't still around is because of the hatred between the Vasto Lorde led to a lot of 'em dying. Now, if I've devoured over four thousand Hollows of my level and haven't evolved, how many Hollows do you think it's going to take for a Vasto Lorde to evolve up to the next level? The Vasto Lorde would probably have to devour over five thousand other Vasto Lorde, and guess what, there aren't that many of them around to devour. But, if a Vasto Lorde could in fact devour the requisite number of Hollows, then yes, I think there probably is another level beyond Vasto Lorde. But like I said, no one's ever going to achieve it, so why bother worrying about it?"

Grimmjow glanced over at Ichigo. "So, if you're curiosity has been satisfied, how are you planning on having us try to take the Vasto Lorde?"

"I was thinking about just fighting and killing him."

Grimmjow just stared. "If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it."

"We're not everybody. I'm damn hard to hurt, plus I can regenerate, and you're about as fast as they come."

Grimmjow shook his head. "What the hell did I do to get stuck with you? I haven't been that bad of a person. I only went outside of Hueco Mundo once since I became a Hollow, and even then I didn't kill any humans or Shinigami, so why the hell did I get cursed with you?"

"You're just lucky. As for your curse, we don't know who's the idiot here, you for coming or me for wanting you to."

"Oh, fuck you."

"Hey, Ichigo, we've been running around here for a couple of days. Are you sure the Vasto Lorde are around here?" Grimmjow was fast losing his patience.

"Why the hell are you asking me, it was your idea to come here. Maybe you got your directions mixed up." Ichigo was, if anything, even more frustrated than Grimmjow was. The two of them had gone to the deepest part of Hueco Mundo, where the Vasto Lorde were supposed to reside and guess what they found? No Vasto Lorde. In fact, there wasn't a damned thing around here. Just empty desert, and by empty, that meant it was emptier than the rest of Hueco Mundo. "You'd think with as much power as these guys are supposed to have we'd be able to sense them a mile away."

"Well, I don't think running around randomly is going to get us any closer to the Vasto Lorde." Grimmjow said. Ichigo rolled his eyes behind the mask.

"No, you think?" He drawled sarcastically. Grimmjow snarled at him.

"You wanna go?" He demanded.

"Grimmjow, we both know I'd smash you through the sand with one hi-" He broke off.

"What is it, Ichigo?" Grimmjow sensed that his partner had just figured something out.

"Grimmjow, does the Menos Forest extend this far?"

Instantly picking up on his partners idea he growled out "No, it doesn't. There's a barrier across the end of the Menos Forest coming this way. We're in the right area, just not on the right level." Before he even finished speaking, Ichigo was burrowing his way down through the sand. Grimmjow followed through the loose sand that Ichigo was leaving behind him. After all, why work if you don't have to? And he was going to need all of his strength if he was going to tangle with a Vasto Lorde.

When Ichigo finally broke through the sand he had only an instant to get his bearings as he fell through the air. He reached out with one hand, claws digging into one of the branches of the trees that dotted the area. He swung himself up, the branch wide enough for him to stand on with no fear of losing his balance. Beside him, Grimmjow landed lightly.

"Most of 'em seem to be pretty far away, but there's one that's close by."

"It looks like you were right about them not liking each other. There's a huge distance between the one that's near us and the closest other one."

"When am I ever wrong?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo glanced over at him. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"On second thought, we're not going to become Vasto Lorde just sitting around here." Grimmjow grinned over at Ichigo as they both rocketed out of the tree towards the nearest Vasto Lorde.

The Vasto Lorde didn't seem surprised when the two of them dropped into the clearing he was in.

Ichigo stared at his opponent. He didn't seem like much just looking at him, but then again, neither did Grimmjow.

The Vasto Lorde, the first one Ichigo had ever seen, was smaller than Ichigo, just under six feet tall, with a white mask that was covered by a red symbol, a cross with a ninety degree turn at each end.

The body was dark green, muscular but not overly so. The forearms were wider than normal, covered by what looked like some form of armguard. The hands were black, the fingers hooked like talons, and a band of red encircled both upper arms. The legs were also green, with guards covering the shins, and the feet had no toes, looking like he was wearing shoes.

"What are two Adjuchas doing here?" The Vasto Lorde asked calmly.

"We were thinking about devouring you and becoming Vasto Lorde ourselves." Ichigo answered without a hint of humor in his voice.

The Vasto Lorde simply stared, unable to process the remark for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"I've met some crazy people in Hueco Mundo over the sixty years I've been here. But I've never seen anyone quite like you two." Suddenly the Reiatsu the Vasto Lorde was emitting tripled. It felt like Ichigo and Grimmjow had been hit by a freight train. The breath was smashed out of their bodies and they couldn't get it back. Their knees grew weak, and it was all they could do to stand up.

"I suppose as a courtesy I should give you my name. I am Adolf Hitler. And you are going to die."

Ichigo snarled as he flared his own Reiatsu, letting him breathe and strengthening his legs. Beside him, Grimmjow did the same. "We're not as crazy as you seem to think. We wouldn't have come here if we didn't think we could win." Ichigo began to form a Cero between his horns. "Eat this."

Hitler stood calmly as Ichigo charged up the Cero, then unleashed it. The beam of red tinged white energy shot out from Ichigo's horns, dead on target.

Ichigo allowed himself a victorious smirk under the mask, that disappeared when the Cero was blasted back, scattering the energy and knocking Ichigo off his feet. Before Ichigo could even hit the ground, the Vasto Lorde was on him, claws spearing through him as the hammer blow to his stomach drove him into the ground, sand flying away from the area Ichigo hit the ground.

Grimmjow instantly leapt into the fray, only to be blasted away by a shockwave of Reiatsu. Ichigo, who was under Hitler, was driven into the ground.

Grimmjow recovered nearly instantly, twisting in midair to land on his feet, shooting forward again.

Hitler concentrated his Reiatsu to form a blast headed in Grimmjow's direction, as opposed to the previous one which went all directions. Grimmjow leapt over the blast, claws extended, only to hit the gauntlet like forearm harmlessly. Hitler opened his jaws and tried to blast Grimmjow with a Cero, and would have succeeded save for the fact that Ichigo had recovered by that point, and used all of his strength to tear Hitler's legs out from under him, the blast harmlessly expending it's energy into the sand, and allowing Grimmjow to come over the forearm and rake his claws across the Vasto Lorde's shoulder, leaving a couple of shallow gashes as he passed.

Ichigo rolled out from under the other Hollow, a Cero forming on his fingertips as he brought his arm around to align on target.

Hitler's claws easily pierced Ichigo's hide, and in an impressive display of brute force, tore Ichigo's arm off at the elbow, lashing out with his foot in Ichigo's instant of pained shock, kicking him across the clearing.

Blood colored the white sand as Ichigo slid across the ground, arm already beginning to regenerate even as he came to a stop.

Grimmjow was at Ichigo's side as his arm finished regenerating, the two of them staring warily at the Vasto Lorde.

"You know, I'm starting to think that this isn't the brightest idea you've ever had." Grimmjow said.

"I don't recall you protesting, so shut up."

"I do recall protesting, but somehow I let you talk me into this."

Ichigo leaned forward, preparing to dash toward Hitler. "Can we save the arguing until after we beat this guy?"

"We might not beat this guy, which is the whole reason we're having this conversation."

Hitler took the opportunity to strike, throwing Ichigo away with a powerful backhand, then sending a Cero flying after him, he kicked Grimmjow in the stomach so hard the panther coughed up blood, but before he was even three feet off the ground, Hitler dealt a tremendous blow to Grimmjow's back, Grimmjow's own momentum causing even more damage.

Hitler reached down and grabbed Grimmjow by the face, claws easily piercing the mask. "How did you two survive to get to Adjuchas? Did you fight each other like this during every battle?"

Grimmjow glared up, the claws not penetrating deep enough to kill him. "No, you're just so weak that we don't need to keep our attention on you."

"Bravado isn't going to help you." Hitler stated.

"It's not bravado." Grimmjow snarled.

Sensing a massive amount of Reiatsu being emitted, Hitler looked over to see Ichigo with a Cero charging between his horns and one on each hand. "Block this, asshole." Ichigo growled as he released the energy.

Hitler pulled Grimmjow up, attempting to block the Cero with the panther, but Grimmjow wasn't willing to get hit by Ichigo's Ceros again. Swinging his entire body up, the white panther pushed against Hitler's body, breaking the Vasto Lorde's grip and allowing him to throw himself out of the way of the Ceros.

Grimmjow snarled angrily when Ichigo's Ceros were blasted back by a solid wave of Reiatsu. "Damnit, that is really getting old."

"You're telling me." Ichigo hissed as he charged past Grimmjow. "If I can't hit him from range, I'll kill him in close."

Hitler's hand shot out, but Ichigo had expected it, and intercepted the hand with his own, the claws twining around each other as both tried to overpower the other. Ichigo threw out a clawed strike of his own, but Hitler caught it, leaving both at a deadlock.

Hitler was far more powerful physically than even Ichigo, despite Ichigo having the size advantage and Ichigo had only a second to act before that became apparent.

Ichigo brought his tail around, the spine on the end glowing with red Reiryoku, and slammed it through Hitler's shoulder, trying to deprive Hitler of the use of that arm.

Ichigo grinned viciously as it worked, the force in Hitler's right arm disappearing entirely, but the Vasto Lorde was by no means out of the fight.

Snarling with anger, Hitler counterattacked, crushing Ichigo's right hand with his left, then letting go and bringing his hand around, claws slicing through Ichigo's left arm and tail.

Blood spurted from the stumps of the two appendages, and Ichigo stumbled forward as the force he was pushing against vanished.

Hitler, having taken a step back, opened his mouth, the Cero charging within aimed at Ichigo's mask. Ichigo, despite the pain, still had the presence of mind to charge his own Cero, releasing it just as Hitler released his.

Regardless of how powerful an Adjuchas is, a Vasto Lorde's Cero will naturally be stronger. However, Ichigo had not been trying to overpower Hitler's Cero. Instead, he used his own cero to shield him from the brunt of the impact, and used what was left to launch him away from the Vasto Lorde, gaining distance between them, and time to allow his regeneration to work.

Before the smoke could dissipate or the sand could settle, Grimmjow rejoined the fight, bursting out of the concealing smoke and landing on Hitler's right shoulder, his weak spot now, thanks to Ichigo. Grimmjow's hind legs were on Hitler's back, tearing thin but bloody gouges down the right side of the Vasto Lorde's back. One paw was on the shoulder, claws sunk into the skin, and the other paw reached out to claw across Hitler's neck.

Grimmjow wasn't able to succeed in tearing Hitler's head off his shoulders, but he did leave four parallel cuts across the Vasto Lorde's neck. Before he could do any more, a blast of Reiatsu knocked him away, and while Grimmjow was still in midair, Hitler whirled and fired a Cero from his mouth. Grimmjow was able to turn so that the blast caught his stomach rather than his head, but he was still slammed through a tree and burnt badly, and Grimmjow did not have regeneration, nor was he as physically tough as Ichigo was.

The only thing that saved the panther from being vaporized was that the Vasto Lorde hadn't had the time to fully charge up the Cero, downgrading it to a little weaker than Ichigo's, which was still extremely powerful.

Hitler turned as he felt Ichigo charge up his Ceros, the three beams of destructive energy racing straight toward him. "You never learn, do you?" Hitler rasped, the damage to his throat affecting his voice. The Ceros got to within about five feet of the Vasto Lorde before they were blasted back.

"I can create blasts of pure Reiatsu to block attacks or throw my enemies away from me. You can't hurt me with Cero."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Ichigo's voice sounded from Hitler's right. Hitler's eyes went wide under the mask as he realized that Ichigo had used the smoke that the Cero blast had created as cover to get close, and with Hitler's right arm out of commission, he couldn't react in time.

Ichigo brought his hand up as hard as he could in a clawed uppercut, the force launching the Vasto Lorde into the air, where Ichigo's tail was set to skewer him.

Hitler saw the tail as his head was jerked up from the force of the blow, and was barely able to move his head in time to prevent him taking the blow through the mask. As it was, the tail shot downward even as Hitler went up, spearing him through his sternum at a downward angle, passing through the Hollow hole and then back into his flesh before finally exiting at his waist.

Ichigo reached out to grab hold of his impaled opponent when Hitler opened his mouth, a Cero already formed. Hitler launched the Cero, simultaneously creating a Reiatsu blast toward Ichigo, making the Cero fly even faster.

Of course, at the range that Ichigo was at, he couldn't have dodged it anyway.

Ichigo was blasted backwards, saved by the fact that he'd crossed his arms in front of his face so that his arms had taken the majority of the blast, and with both of them left unusable, he'd still paid the price. There was also the fact that once again Hitler hadn't had the time to fully charge up the Cero, thus weakening it.

It was harder for the regeneration to fix something that was still there but damaged than it was for it to simply close a wound or grow something back, so Ichigo was unable to use his arms below the elbow for several seconds.

Several seconds that Ichigo didn't have. Despite the blood pouring freely from hole where Ichigo had impaled him, Hitler was still strong enough and fast enough to go on the offensive even as Ichigo was still flying backwards.

Hitler grabbed onto Ichigo's tail, yanking Ichigo toward him with it, then quickly letting go and slamming him into the ground. As Ichigo lay there, stunned for an instant, Hitler put his foot on Ichigo, and tore his tail off.

Ichigo shrieked in pain, but Hitler wasn't done yet. Reaching up, he tore Ichigo's arm off as well, then repeated the action with the other arm before grabbing Ichigo's mask.

However, before Hitler could deliver the coup-de-grace, the injured Grimmjow jumped on his back, claws slicing into the muscle. Before Grimmjow could do any more than that, Hitler let go of Ichigo's mask, claws slicing through one of his horns to ensure that Ichigo couldn't perform Cero, then reached back and grabbed Grimmjow, slamming him down on the sand next to Ichigo, belly up.

Before either Grimmjow or Ichigo could move, Hitler reached back and slammed his hand through Grimmjow's chest, just above of his Hollow hole. Hitler's hand had punched completely through Grimmjow, and into the sand on the other side.

Blood gushed out of the panther's mask. Hitler savagely tore his hand out of Grimmjow, widening the wound.

The Vasto Lorde then turned his attention back to Ichigo, preparing to put his hand through Ichigo's mask and put an end to the fight. Hitler stood over Ichigo's waist, eyes flashing triumphantly.

However, dealing with Grimmjow had taken enough time that Ichigo had been able to regenerate his tail, and with a roar Ichigo slammed his tail through the back of Hitler's head, the tip poking out the front of the mask.

Knowing that Hitler's body would begin to dissolve at any second, Ichigo sat up and tore a bite out of the jagged edges of the wound that his tail had left earlier. As soon as the bite was in his mouth, he shoved Hitler so that he fell on Grimmjow.

Although he couldn't speak with his mouth full of the Vasto Lorde's flesh, the message was clear.

Eat him before he dissolves.

Grimmjow, using all the strength remaining in his battered body, opened his jaws and sank his teeth into the Vasto Lorde's shoulder. He barely managed to get the piece of flesh into his mouth before Hitler dissolved.

Ichigo had finished swallowing his piece by then. "Well, that about the toughest fight I've ever had. I thought I was going to get killed right there at the end."

"You're welcome." Grimmjow replied.

Neither one of them said anything else as they lay there, waiting for the transformation to begin.

After about thirty seconds Grimmjow's eyes shifted over to Ichigo. "You know, if you're wrong about this, I'm going to kill you as soon as we're healed."

"Assuming we're alive long enough to get healed. It's not going to take some other Vasto Lorde very long to come and check out what happened over here, and if we haven't transformed by then we're screw-"

Ichigo broke off as he felt warmth spread throughout his being, power welling up inside him like nothing he had ever imagined. "I think it's starting."

Ichigo began to glow, red-white Reiryoku pouring out him as his transformation took effect. Next to him, Grimmjow was surrounded by a blue aura as he began to transform as well.

When the power died down, Ichigo was completely changed. He had shrunk to around six feet tall, and while his shape had remained generally the same, there were several rather striking changes.

His mask now had four horns instead of the original two, two more horns sweeping forward from just above his forehead. His hands, and by proxy, his claws, had stayed the same size despite the rest of him growing smaller, making his hands look oversized. Red, bony plates of armor covered his form with the sole exception of his joints, and even they were covered on the outside. The armor had ridges and bumps on it, and the pattern seemed to simulate scales. Finally, three tails, each over twice as long as his body gently swayed behind him. At the end of each tail was a three foot piece of solid red bone, similar to his armor.

Grimmjow was now a humanoid panther, incredibly lean, with a thick coat of white fur covering his body. Blades stuck out of his elbows and his knees, and his hands were thin and clawed. His feet resembled a cat's paws, and he bounced lightly on his toes.

"Well, what do you know, you were right after all."

Ichigo didn't bother to respond, instead focusing his power. "Grimmjow, you might want to get back." A Cero charged between his horns, the two new horns stabilizing it from behind and adding even more power to it. A Cero formed on both hands, red energy swirling around the fingertips. Ichigo raised his tails, a Cero forming on the end of each one.

Ichigo grinned viciously as he let all of them fly, vaporizing the forest in front of him.

Grimmjow whistled as he saw the damage that Ichigo had caused. "Not bad." Grimmjow's claws began to glow blue, getting brighter until the hand was obscured by the glow. Grimmjow threw his hand forward, the energy leaping off of his claws to form five deadly energy claws. Grimmjow then brought his hand down, tearing enormous gashes in the ground.

Grimmjow summed up what both of them were feeling. "I am. I am. I am…THE KING!


	7. The Final Preparations

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Chad had felt power. He'd felt it with Ichigo. He'd felt the power of the Quincy final form. But he'd never felt anything like this. The Reiatsu was so strong it felt like he could suffocate, like the air itself had turned to water. Chad's normal composure was shattered as he strained to take a breath, lungs heaving, trying to get enough air to survive. The primal feeling of fear welled up inside of him. _'Get away'!_ His instincts were screaming at him, overwhelming his sanity. He felt pitiful, like the smallest insect that had ever lived, and a giant the size of a mountain was about to squash him, obliterate him from existence-

A choked cough from behind him shook him out of his paralysis, and he turned around to see Hanataro, the boy who had treated his injuries, the Shinigami who hadn't turned him in on the ground, eyes wide and fixed, chest unmoving, a small stream of drool coming out of his mouth. Bringing up his own Reiatsu as much as he could to try to counter the effects of the enormous pressure crushing down on him, he went over to Hanataro.

Putting both of his hands on the young Shinigami, he fed his own Reiatsu into the area immediately surrounding him, trying to get the young Shinigami out of his catatonic state. Slowly, he responded, his chest began to move again, his eyes losing their glazed, fixed look.

Suddenly the Reiatsu was closer, and much stronger. It was like before whoever was making it hadn't been actually trying, that what he had felt was just what the person was normally emitting. "Is your name Chad?" He heard a deep voice that sounded like the person speaking had gravel in their throat ask the question, right before a sword slammed through his chest.

Ganju Shiba closed his eyes, letting his awareness expand to sense any Reiatsu in the vicinity. He couldn't feel anything close by, and was just getting ready to pull himself out of his trance when a surge of Reiatsu like nothing he'd ever felt before slammed into his senses like a hurricane.

His brother had been a Lieutenant in the Gotei 13, so he was accustomed to high levels of Reiatsu, but this was like a God had come down to earth. The Reiatsu crushed in on his mind, swamping him with fear and leaving him unable to do anything for several moments as his mind played visions of his own death at the hands of whoever owned this incredible power.

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably under a minute, the Reiatsu faded. It was there, but now it was concentrated on something else instead of blanketing the whole area, and he was able to move again.

He'd managed to get almost all the way to the Senzaikyuu, and he'd done it by staying hidden. _'I'm just glad that I'm not the one that power's after.'_

Soi Fon slowly opened her eyes, squinting them against the light. "How are you feeling?" A gentle voice asked.

Retsu Unohana. Soi Fon knew who was treating her without even seeing them, and she felt her body relaxing as she knew that she was safe.

"Where's the Quincy?" She rasped out.

"Take it easy, and try to drink something." She felt a glass of what she assumed was water placed at her lips, and her assumption was confirmed an instant later as the cool liquid washed into her mouth. "So you were fighting a Quincy, hmm? I thought the wounds looked similar to what a Quincy would produce. But I've never heard of a Quincy strong enough to fight a Captain before."

"I've never seen one either, until him."

"Did you release your Bankai on him? I didn't feel it, but I wasn't looking for anything like that at the time."

"No, he beat me when I was just using Shikai. We seemed to be about evenly matched, then he raised his power and did a couple of new techniques and I was out before I could pull my Bankai on him."

"Well, that's good to hear. With the hatred that Quincy have toward Shinigami, I'd be concerned if there was one that could defeat a Captain in Bankai." Retsu turned away from Soi Fon to mark something on a chart, and Soi Fon's thoughts drifted back to what the Quincy had said. _'Shinigami well deserve our hatred.'_

"By the way," Retsu said, drawing Soi Fon's attention back to her. "Do you know who healed you?" Seeing the baffled expression on the Second Squads Captain's face, Retsu sighed. "I guess not. Someone partially healed you before you were found. It was a fairly skilled job, too, although it was obvious they only intended to stabilize you."

"Do you think it was the Quincy?" Soi Fon almost didn't want to hear the answer. The last thing she wanted was to be indebted to that insufferable Quincy. Retsu's next words dispelled that fear.

"No, this was definitely the work of Kido, some other shinigami found and healed you before we were called in. Your lieutenant called for us when he found you, and I know he doesn't know medical Kido."

"You're right, he doesn't." Any conversation was cut off as a Reiatsu as powerful as any Soi Fon had ever felt slammed into her senses. She wasn't truly affected by it, but the sheer power made the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. Glancing over at Unohana, he saw that the older Captain wasn't affected at all.

"It looks like Captain Zaraki has found one of the Ryoka."

'_What just happened?'_ Chad wondered as his hand gripped unbroken flesh across his chest. _'I _felt_ him stab me. I felt the blade go through my chest, but there's no wound.'_

"How long are you going to just stand there? Turn around and face me." Chad did so and found himself staring at the biggest man he had ever seen, and that was saying something. It wasn't often that Chad had to look up at someone, but the behemoth that was staring at him leaking a high amount of bloodlust was most definitely bigger than he was. "Your name is Chad, right?" The Mexican youth nodded slowly. "I'm the Captain of Squad Eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki. Ikkaku said that you could fight well." Zaraki drew his sword. "I hope he was right."

Chad barely had enough time to make his arms transform into their armored form before the scar-faced man was on him, the jagged edge of his Zanpakuto slamming into his upraised left arm. He brought his right arm up and let off the most powerful blast he could muster straight into Zaraki's chest, the white energy engulfing the Captain's form.

Chad felt a hand grip his transformed right arm at the wrist, pulling it off of where it had slammed into Zaraki. "Is that it?" Zaraki's voice was disbelieving and his expression was incredulous. Chad was shocked. There wasn't a mark on the man. "I've been hit by Gillian's Ceros that are stronger than that." With that his Reiatsu flared in a deep yellow aura around him, and his sword began to dig into Chad's left arm.

To say Chad was shocked was putting it mildly. His arm had never been even scratched, so he'd assumed that it was indestructible. Turns out it wasn't, it just required someone powerful enough to hurt it. Zaraki ripped his sword out of Chad's arm, and blood spewed like a fountain from the damaged limb.

"Ikkaku said you hit like a ton of lead. I didn't realize that he was that weak." Zaraki stabbed straight out with his Zanpakuto, his jagged blade aimed straight at Chad's heart. Chad reached out with his hand, grabbing hold of the edge of the blade, his teeth gritting as he felt the edge slice into his palm, but that had given him what he wanted. He brought his damaged left arm up and slammed his fist into Zaraki's face, forcing all the power he could muster into the mans head, trying to do all the damage that he could.

Hitsugaya caught the Hell Butterfly on his hand, listening intently to the message that it brought. As soon as the message was done, Hitsugaya had to resist the urge to scream obscenities.

The execution date had been changed to the next day, and there was a Captains Meeting in a little over four hours.

Hitsugaya rubbed his temples as his mind raced. _'This is the last thing that I needed right now. Zaraki's fighting with one of the Ryoka, and if he gets himself too busted up we won't have him when we try to stop the execution. I'd better get to Ukitake, then have him have Kyoraku go make sure that both of them aren't in too bad a shape. Then hopefully he can bring them both back and we can decide exactly what we're going to do at the execution.'_

His mind made up, the Squad Ten Captain stood up from his desk, smoothing his robe as he did so.

A column of yellow Reiatsu erupted from the Eleventh Squad Captain, the shockwave from the release so great that Chad was blown off his feet. He landed on his back, sliding several feet as the energy continued to push him away. He struggled back to his feet, bracing himself against the power that the Captain was exerting. '_Is this the power of a Captain?' _Chad wondered. '_He's Captain of Squad Eleven. If there are ten others like him, we won't make it.' _Chad's face hardened at his thoughts. '_It doesn't matter if we won't make it. Ichigo wanted to save Rukia. And I won't die until I've accomplished that.'_ Squinting, he could barely make out the captains form inside the vortex of yellow energy.

"Damnit. Now I can't hold back anymore. This fight isn't even gonna last long enough to loosen up my joints, especially now that my eyepatch is gone." With that, Zaraki crossed the space between them in a single step, Zanpakuto moving almost too quickly for Chad to see. Chad barely brought his arm up in time to block. Not that it did any good, the thrust of Zaraki's Zanpakuto going straight through the armored appendage, and the tip piercing Chad's right lung. Chad felt the blood begin to pool, and as the blade pulled out of his chest, he launched all the power he had right at Zaraki, hoping to do any kind of damage that he could.

Zaraki took the blast, his own Reiatsu forming an aura around him that Chad's blast couldn't penetrate. He lifted his leg and planted his foot into Chad's midsection, sending him through one of the buildings that surrounded them.

"God, that was pathetic. I guess I need to spar with Ikkaku a little more, show him exactly what a challenge is." Kenpachi strode deliberately over to where Chad was lying facedown in a pool of his own blood. He stared down at the boy before he put his sword over his shoulder and began to walk away.

"Wait." Zaraki paused. Behind him, Chad was trying to struggle to his feet.

"Just stay down. Right now you're not even worth killing."

"I can't do that. I made a promise, and I have to rescue Rukia."

Zaraki turned to face him. "You don't get it, do you? I don't care about your mission and never have. If you want to go rescue that girl, be my guest. I have no interest in it. All I care about is having a good fight, which you didn't provide." Turning around he was about to leave when another Reiatsu stopped him. Chad felt it as well, but wasn't able to see who it was as he lost his grip on consciousness and slumped back to the ground.

It was the pink that told Zaraki exactly who was here. There was only one person in the Seireitei that wore a bright pink overcoat. "Hello, Captain Zaraki. Jushiro and Toshiro need to talk to you."

"What for?"

"Well, you were out here looking for the Ryoka, so I'm not surprised that you didn't hear. The execution got rescheduled. They're doing it at noon tomorrow." Kenpachi face morphed into a pleased grin.

The grin got even wider when Kyoraku continued. "We need to finalize who's going to fight against who at the execution, so Jushiro wants us all to get together for a little powwow before the Captains meeting at 6:00."

"Tomorrow, eh? Good. That means that I won't have to wait very long before I can get into a good fight." He brought his hand up. "Damned punk obliterated my eye-patch, and I don't have any spares."

"You're not going to need them. You're going to handle any Captain you want tomorrow, so you won't need the eye-patch." Kyoraku paused for a moment. "We've got one of the Ryoka to help us, and I'm supposed to bring the other one in to see if he can help us too."

Kenpachi looked down at the unmoving form of Chad. "He won't be any use against the Captains, but he may serve to keep the Lieutenants off our backs." Shunsui nodded as heal moved silently over to Chad's side.

"You roughed him up pretty good, Kenpachi." He stated as he began to work the healing Kido. "Why don't you go over to the Squad Thirteen headquarters? I'll handle everything here."

Uryu had nearly attacked Zaraki when Kyoraku had brought Chad's battered body into the headquarters but was restrained by Kido until he calmed down. Once he had realized that Chad's life wasn't in danger he began to settle.

Now they were in a meeting to determine exactly what was going to happen tomorrow.

"Is there anyone else we can count on for aid?" Ukitake asked. "My Third Seats will follow me, and I'm assuming all of your Lieutenants will, along with Zaraki's whole squad, but only the Captains and Lieutenants are going to be on Soukyoku hill. Which means that we'll have our Lieutenants, the Ryoka, and Ikkaku and Yumichika from your squad" he nodded to Zaraki "but I don't know of anyone else who will help us."

After a few moments where no one spoke, Zaraki announced "I've got someone who will help us. I sent Yumichika to collect him." At the others baffled looks, he elaborated. "I keep close tabs on everyone who's passed through my squad. And from what I've heard, Renji Abarai has gotten Bankai, and is going to try to save the girl all on his own."

"Did you say Renji Abarai?" Uryu's voice was low, almost a hiss. "Red hair, tattoos, and serves under Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"You know him?" Ukitake asked.

"We've met. And I swore that if I ever saw him again, I'd kill him."

"I know Renji rubs people the wrong way sometimes, but I think that's a little harsh. You want to kill Renji because he's the one who brought Rukia back for execution, right?" Ukitake responded.

"No." Uryu ground out. "I'm going to kill him because he killed Ichigo Kurosaki, the person Rukia gave her Shinigami powers to."

"What are you talking about, I didn't kill him, Captain Kuchiki did." Uryu whirled around and there was Renji Abarai, looking exactly like he had the first time they'd met, with a very feminine guy right beside him.

Uryu's Reiatsu began to spike, and he began to form the bow in one hand, only to find himself bound once again in a Kido. "Uryu, you have to control yourself." Ukitake reminded him. "If someone else senses you in here, we're all in big trouble."

"He's right." The voice was so unexpected that Uryu stopped struggling against the Kido.

"Chad?" Sure enough, Chad was sitting on the sofa he'd been laying on just a second ago, his hand pressed to his chest, but he didn't seem to be in too much pain. "If we want to rescue Rukia, if we want to fulfill Ichigo's last wish, then we will have to work together with others who are trying to do the same."

"So the kid's dead?" Renji hazarded. It wasn't like he'd wanted the kid to die or anything. Anybody who was willing to stand up for Rukia like that was alright with him. He'd never intended to kill him once he saw him defending Rukia. Even when he said he was going to, he'd just wanted to rough him up a little.

"Yes, he's dead." Chad said quickly, cutting off Uryu's reply, which he was certain would have been far angrier. "He survived the battle, but was killed attempting to recover his Shinigami powers with Kisuke Urahara."

The silence in the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. "Did you say Kisuke Urahara?"

Kyoraku's smile was so wide it nearly split his face. "I knew that rascal was too stubborn to die!"

Ukitake looked over at him in confusion. "I thought you knew that he was in the world of the living."

"No, I didn't know that, I must have slept through that report, but still, he's alive! As soon as this is all done, I'm going to the world of the living and having a drink. Or ten."

Renji was a little more sober. "So, he's dead, huh."

"None of that is important right now." Hitsugaya's voice cut across all of their thoughts. "We can all swap stories once we stop the execution. Zaraki, you told Ukitake that you could handle the Soukyoku, correct?" At Zaraki's nod he continued. "I'll take your word for it. Now we need to figure out exactly what's we're going to do tomorrow at the execution."

"I'll take Byakuya Kuchiki." Unsurprisingly, it was Uryu who volunteered for that job.

"I've got Ikkaku to take care of Tosen. He knows Bankai, and Tosen's not that strong as it is, he should be fine. Yumichika's in charge of getting the Kuchiki girl out of there." Zaraki put in.

"I just attained Bankai, but if your Lieutenants" he nodded to Kyoraku, Hitsugaya, and Zaraki "help me out, I'm sure we can keep the rest of the Lieutenants out of the picture." Renji offered.

"That's good. I can at least keep old man Yama busy, so we'll need someone to take care of…who all haven't we covered?" Kyoraku asked.

"Soi Fon is still in the medical facility, so the ones we still need to worry about are Ichimaru, Unohana, Aizen, Komamura, and Kurotsuchi." Ukitake responded.

"From everything I've seen of Komamura, he's all about pure strength, right? In that case, after he's done with the Soukyoku, I'd suggest Zaraki take him on." Hitsugaya offered his opinion.

"Hell no, that wannabe from Squad Seven couldn't even wake me up in the morning." Zaraki was quick to refute that suggestion. "If I'm gonna fight anybody it's gonna be the old fart. Go find somebody else, Kyoraku, cause Yamamoto's mine."

"If Komamura is all about strength, then I could probably fight him." Chad offered from the couch.

Zaraki looked over at him sharply. "Well, Komamura is a lot weaker than I am, but still, I didn't have any problems with you, so if you want to fight him, go ahead." Chad nodded.

"I can handle Kurotsuchi." Hitsugaya decided his own assignment. "I don't want the Twelfth Squad Captain to have any free time to cook up any nasty little surprises up on Soukyoku hill."

"Good idea, I don't want him free to hit me in the back." Kyoraku said.

"Retsu won't interfere in the fighting directly, she doesn't like to fight, and she certainly won't jump straight into the center of a general melee. So who does that leave us? Aizen and Ichimaru?" Ukitake questioned. "In that case, I'll handle Aizen, and Kyoraku can take Ichimaru."

"Ichimaru shouldn't be too hard for you. He's only a little stronger than Tosen is." Kenpachi said.

"Do not underestimate Ichimaru." Kyoraku's voice was like steel, a sharp contrast to his usual relaxed tones. "I was there when Ichimaru took the Captains exam. He may not look like much, but he's got the highest power increase from Shikai to Bankai in the history of Soul Society. And his Shikai isn't exactly weak. I mean, it's no Ryujin Jakka, but Shinso isn't a Zanpakuto to take lightly."

Zaraki grinned. "Sounds like fun."

"That just leaves Retsu." Ukitake sighed. "She may not be one to jump into a general melee, but we still need to keep her occupied. Nothing would be worse than beating someone only to have him back in the fight five minutes later."

"Can I help?" Came a female voice from the doorway. Uryu tensed at her presence, but the Captains, especially the Captains of Squad Eight and Thirteen, seemed shocked but not scared.

"Impossible." Ukitake whispered.

The dark skinned, purple haired woman smirked, a wicked gleam in her golden eyes. "Oh, it's very possible."

"Yoruichi Shihouin." Kyoraku breathed.

"Wait a minute." Uryu interjected. "Yoruichi? As in Yoruichi the _cat_?"

"That's right, Uryu. Surprised?"

"I thought you were a guy." Chad stated.

She sighed, one hand playing with her hair. "I guess everyone always assumes I'm a man because of the voice I use when I'm in cat form. So anyway, back to my original question, is there any way I can help?"

"If Retsu does attempt to interfere, can you keep her occupied?"

"Yeah, I don't think I can beat her, especially without my Zanpakuto, but I could keep her busy for a while."

"Alright, then that's what we're going to do. We've got everyone who could give us problems accounted for, right?" Kyoraku and Ukitake thought for a second.

"That's everyone I can think of." Kyoraku said, and Ukitake nodded in agreement.

"So, everyone knows what they're going to be doing tomorrow?" As all answered in the affirmative, Hitsugaya continued. "Zaraki, give Chad a description of Komamura, then fill your Lieutenant in on her role. That goes for all of you." With that the meeting broke up, the Captains heading to the meeting and the Ryoka staying in the office with Yoruichi.

As Kyoraku was walking out, he found himself shoulder to shoulder with Ukitake. Glancing over, he talked to his old friend. "Hitsugaya's turning into a regular little Captain Commander, isn't he?"

"This is really his operation, so it's only right that he assumes the role of supreme commander."

"True, but it's kind of weird taking orders from somebody that young."

"If it eases your pain, once this is all said and done, you won't be taking orders from him, one way or another."

"True." Kyoraku conceded.

The Captains meeting was unusually tense, likely due to the combination of the execution and the Ryoka invasion.

Yamamoto thumped the sealed form of his Zanpakuto down on the ground, commanding silence. "Captain Zaraki, I understand that you fought against one of the Ryoka earlier." It wasn't a question.

Zaraki snorted. "Yeah, that's right. Not that the little punk was able to scratch me. The worst he did was destroy my eye patch. I ran him through, then kicked him into a building. The building collapsed on him, so if he wasn't dead before, he definitely is now."

Tosen sighed. "Death is not something that one should treat so casually. But then, what can one expect of the Eleventh Squad, especially the Captain."

Zaraki growled, his hand automatically reaching for his Zanpakuto.

"Enough." Yamamoto's raised voice was enough to stop Zaraki from drawing his Zanpakuto. "Now is not the time for petty bickering between the Squads. The Ryoka that defeated Captain Soi Fon is still on the loose, and as you all know from her report, the intruder is a Quincy. We all must be on our guard tomorrow at the execution."

Ichimaru was the one who broke the silence. "Captain Commander, even if the Quincy was capable of defeating dear little Soi Fon, she said herself that she didn't use Bankai on him. All of us except Soi Fon will be there tomorrow, unless the health of Squad Thirteen's Captain takes a noticeable turn for the worse before noon tomorrow, so I don't think that we'll really need to be on our guard against one Quincy."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi laughed out loud. "This coming from you, the one who let them escape in the first place?" The Captain with the black and white face paint continued scornfully. "Furthermore, didn't you say that he had an arrow pointed at your back from less than foot away? You have a great deal of confidence for someone who was defeated so easily before."

"Even if he was able to get the drop on me, There are going to be twelve of us at the execution tomorrow. If a single Quincy can defeat all of us, I'll swear allegiance to him as the new Captain Commander." Everyone glared at the tall, thin Captain, who laughed softly. "Just a joke, no need to get upset over it."

"Captain Ichimaru." Yamamoto began frostily. "Refrain from humor during a Captains meeting, and refrain from humor like that at all."

Ichimaru nodded assent, grin still fixed firmly on his face.

"Very well. Everyone is dismissed. I expect all of you to be at the execution tomorrow, with your Lieutenants. If the Quincy does appear, you are authorized to use any force needed to eliminate him, including the release of your Zanpakuto. Dismissed."

As the Captains began to exit the room, Hitsugaya found himself in the lead next to Zaraki, the giant's hand grabbing his shoulder to get his attention. Hitsugaya found himself being steered out of the way of the rest of Captains. Zaraki held him there for a few seconds, letting the other Captains pass.

"Tosen is dead. That little bastard has insulted me and my squad for the last time. If Ikkaku doesn't kill him tomorrow, I will."

Hitsugaya nodded slightly, signifying his understanding and acknowledgement before he strode towards the Squad Ten headquarters. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

"Hey, Grimmjow, what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure." Grimmjow finally responded. "I never really thought about what to do once I got to Vasto Lorde."

"You've been here a while, is there anything to do in Hueco Mundo?"

Grimmjow laughed. "Other than have a great meal, not much."

"So you've got no plans."

Grimmjow shook his head. "Nope."

Ichigo grinned, tails swishing back and forth excitedly. "Good. Then I won't feel bad about asking you to come with me."

Grimmjow turned a curious eye to Ichigo. "And where exactly are we going?"

"Back when I was just a regular Hollow, right after I became a Hollow, actually, I ran across this Shinigami in the Menos Forest."

"I've heard about him. They say he's fairly powerful."

"Fairly powerful?" Ichigo questioned. "That little fucker is the closest I've come to death. I've been dying for some payback ever since he damn near turned me into a burnt Ichigo-skin wallet."

"So, what are we waiting for? I've never eaten a Shinigami, but all the other Hollows say that they are damn tasty. Let's go. I want to know if those shitheads knew what they were talking about."

In the darkness of the Senzaikyuu, Rukia Kuchiki looked out at the Seireitei, her thoughts calm. She was ready to die. Her eyes closed, and she saw two Shinigami, their faces overlapping, though they were so similar that it was barely noticeable.

'_Goodbye Kaien. Goodbye Ichigo.'_


	8. Execution Day Pt 1

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

"So, where's this little Shinigami you fought?" Grimmjow asked as he lifted his head up from where he had just devoured a faceless Gillian.

"I don't fucking know, we didn't exactly make arrangements for our next meeting." Ichigo and Grimmjow had felt the voices in their heads getting stronger, and had taken the time to devour a few Gillians and Adjuchas.

"When you told me about this, I was under the impression that you could find him quickly and get to the fighting."

"You're the one who looks like a cat, if you're that impatient then put your nose to the ground and see if you can find him." Ichigo snapped back irritably.

Grimmjow snarled at him, and sat down, before totally laying down on the sand, placing his hands behind his head. "What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo questioned.

"Relaxing. I'll feel you and the Shinigami going at it, so why don't you go and find your little boytoy and get down to the killing?"

"Fuck you, Grimmjow." Ichigo hissed at the panther turning to continue his search..

Rukia watched as the Captain of Squad Three, Gin Ichimaru, approached her from the other side of the bridge. "Well, hey there, Rukia dear." His voice sent chills up and down her spine.

"Captain Ichimaru. What are you doing here?" Her voice was little more than a hiss, hardly appropriate under normal circumstances for addressing a Captain. But she was about to be executed, there wasn't much more they could do to her.

"Now, now, is that any way to treat someone who just came to say goodbye?" Her eyes narrowed at him. He walked up to her. "Try not to worry too much. After all, no one knows what the future holds, right?" Ichimaru looked out over the Seireitei. "They say a few Ryoka invaded the Seireitei the other day. One of them had the misfortune of running into Captain Zaraki."

Ruki felt her blood turn to ice. "Do you know what the Ryoka looked like?" She asked anxiously.

Ichimaru's face was turned away from her, so she wasn't able to see the slight widening of Ichimaru's smile. When he turned to face her, his expression was back to normal, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. _'Thank you, Captain Kuchiki, for providing us with a detailed report of what happened when you brought her back.'_

His voice too low for the guards to hear, he leaned in closer. "I don't know too much, but apparently he's an unregistered Shinigami, and he's got a Zanpakuto as big as his body strapped across his back. They also say he's got orange hair."

Rukia's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes wide. _'It can't be.'_

"He's in very bad shape over in Squad Four, drifting in and out of consciousness. The only thing he says is 'Rukia'. He asks for you every time someone comes in the room."

As distraught as Rukia was, she didn't notice his eyes open a tiny fraction, red orbs glittering with malicious amusement.

Raising his voice so that the guards could hear, his smile grew wider. "Bye bye, Rukia, I'll see you again at the Soukyoku. I hear its release is quite spectacular." With that he was gone, leaving Rukia to her thoughts.

Ikkaku Madarame was waiting at the edge of Soukyoku hill, just inside the dead forest. "Come on, you old fart, hurry up and get to the good stuff." He wanted to fight, he wanted to beat down on Kaname Tosen. That blind guy had always been critical of Eleventh Squad, especially the Captain, and Ikkaku did not take kindly to that.

"Now, Ikkaku, you know that when someone gets old, they take pleasure in formalities. That way they don't actually have to think as much. It's only natural, with the decline in beauty that comes from aging, their minds also deteriorate." Yumichika smirked from beside him.

"I have to say, listening to you two go on reminds me of when Kisuke was my Third Seat and Soi Fon my Lieutenant. Those two were always carrying on. Although I admit that I agree with you about the Captain Commander, he is definitely slipping." Yoruichi was leaning against a tree, seemingly totally unconcerned about what was about to happen.

"He's been slipping since before Captain Zaraki even came to the Seireitei. Should a guy that old honestly still even be here? How long has it been since he's even been in a fight? I've never seen or heard of him fighting in the entire time I've been here." Ikkaku did not have a high opinion of the Captain Commander either. In his opinion, a leader should be like Zaraki, and lead by example. Lead by being the strongest, and proving that you're the strongest, again and again.

"You'll probably get to see him fight today. Or at least feel him fight, you'll probably be too busy with your own fight to play spectator, but I think you'll see why he's the Captain Commander, even if he is slipping mentally."

Chad started in on the conversation. "Is the tall one with the covering over his head Komamura?"

"Yes. I'm glad that he knows he's unfit to show his face. After all, if someone is born ugly, then they should at least have the grace to not torture others with their ugliness." Yumichika put in his opinion.

"Are you sure Zaraki can stop that giant blade?" Uryu was eyeing the Soukyoku.

"The Soukyoku has the explosive power of one million Zanpakuto. I'm curious myself what Zaraki's Shikai is. When he became Captain one hundred years ago, right before I left Soul Society, he either didn't have it or just didn't use it. I don't know why he seems to think that his blade is perfect for taking out Soukyoku, but from what I know of the man, I wouldn't put it past him to have lied about having a Shikai just so he could test his power against Soukyoku."

Ikkaku immediately rushed to defend his Captain from Yoruichi's speculation. "Listen to me _very _carefully." His voice was little more than a growl. "Captain Zaraki loves, no, _lives_ to fight. He has flaws, but the one thing that he will never do is lie. He is absolutely true to who he is, and he would never, ever lie."

Yoruichi did little more than raise an eyebrow to the obvious threat in Ikkaku's voice. "Awfully protective of your Captain, aren't you?"

"Why shouldn't I be? Besides, you'll see for yourself in a moment." He gestured to the Soukyoku. "They're starting."

Isane Kotetsu couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with this execution. All the Captains were there, except for Second Squad Captain Soi Fon, who was still recovering from her battle with the Quincy. All the Lieutenants were there, bar none, so that wasn't unusual.

Maybe it was just nerves. Or it could have been the fact that Captain Zaraki's Reiatsu hung over everyone like a cloud, the man having lost his eyepatch in a fight with a Ryoka the other day. He'd claimed to have killed him quickly after losing the patch, and no one disbelieved him, the amount of power he was giving off could match the Captain Commander's, if not exceed it. Any Ryoka who went up against that was practically guaranteed to be reincarnated into his next life far sooner than he'd anticipated.

"Rukia Kuchiki. Do you have a final request before sentence is carried out."

Rukia looked down for a moment, clearly nervous about something, although what it was she was nervous about Isane couldn't fathom. "If it is at all possible, Captain Commander Yamamoto, might I be allowed one brief visitation with the Ryoka that was captured by Captain Zaraki?"

Yamamoto made no reaction to the request, in fact many of the Captains showed no reaction to the her request, but the Lieutenants weren't as controlled.

"What are you talking about, Rukia?" Renji Abarai, the hot-blooded Lieutenant of Squad six asked. "Captain Zaraki didn't capture any Ryoka."

The Captain Commander grunted in agreement.

Rukia opened her mouth, only to stop when she saw the wider-than-usual grin on Gin Ichimaru's face.

'_That dirty little bastard! By dangling Ichigo in front of me, he made me want to live again, to see him again. He made me happy and excited about life. Now, I'm conflicted. Earlier, I was ready to die, but now I can't face it cleanly anymore.'_

She held back the urge to scream aloud in pain and frustration, the only signs the world seeing of her anger was the way her body was vibrating.

Isane wondered where the girl had gotten the idea that Captain Zaraki had defeated his enemy and left anything to arrest.

She watched as the Captain Commander gave the order to begin the execution. The Kuchiki girl was lifted off the ground, her arms held out to her sides, and her feet held in place by the three blocks that forced the condemned to remain motionless as the sentence was carried out.

Rukia was lifted into the air, body stiff but not in pain. She looked down over the assembled crowd, her eyes focusing on three people in particular. Byakuya wouldn't meet her eyes, and that hurt her more than she wanted to admit. In spite of how cold he had always seemed to her, she still thought of him as a brother, and the fact that he was willing to just let her be executed and not even say goodbye wrenched at her heart.

She looked over at Renji. Unlike Byakuya, he was staring up at her, his eyes hard. It had hurt her when Ichigo and Renji had fought. Even though they had grown distant over the years, she still held on to those memories of the Rukongai. Yes, life out there had been hard, but it had also been happy.

The final person she truly looked at was her Captain, Jushiro Ukitake. He was looking up at her with an unreadable expression. Her heart twisted even further. Was he disappointed in her? Did he consider her a disgrace to his squad? Was he regretting ever taking her in?

Her eyes squeezed shut as tears began to overflow. She didn't notice when the upward movement stopped. She didn't hear the Captain Commander giving the order to release the Soukyoku. All that she could focus on was the crushing sense of despair.

She had failed at everything. All her friends in the Rukongai had died, except for Renji. She had left Renji at the Academy, abandoned him for the Kuchiki family. Yes, he'd said that he was happy for her, but she could see the pain in his eyes at the thought of not seeing her again. He knew her too well, he knew that if he had protested, she never would have gone, and he was willing to give up his own happiness to make sure that she had a good life.

She hadn't even bothered to go see him after that. Not when he was with Captain Aizen in squad Five, not when he got transferred to Squad Eleven under Zaraki, she didn't even go to the party to celebrate his promotion to Lieutenant of Squad Six under her brother. She'd had to go to the world of the living to start her patrol of Karakura town that day, but she could have taken the time to go.

Why hadn't she?

She knew the answer. Because it hurt to see Renji after she'd crushed him. The two of them shared an odd relationship, more than best friends, yet less than siblings. One thing she did know was that he valued her happiness more than his own. She just didn't have the strength to do the same for him.

She could hardly blame him for releasing his frustration when he'd come to retrieve her from the human world. She'd abandoned him.

She'd abandoned Renji. She'd then abandoned the principles of the Soul Society and the honor of the Kuchiki family, the very things that she'd abandoned him for. Then she'd abandoned them for Ichigo. Then she'd abandoned him, too. She didn't even know if he was still alive.

The tears were rolling freely down her face now. _'I'm so sorry.'_

Gin Ichimaru watched as the Soukyoku exploded in a blast of Reiatsu more intense than anything he had ever felt. The column of flame extended into the sky, the heat so intense that he could feel his pale skin begin to sweat, even away from it like he was. The flames spread out, covering the whole of the Soukyoku hill, as Soukyoku transformed into the giant phoenix.

He could hear Yamamoto intoning. "This is the true form of Soukyoku, the final enforcer of extreme punishment. When his beak passes through the condemned, the sentence is over."

A flash of movement caught the corner of his eye, and he shifted slightly to get a better look.

Just as Soukyoku began to move forward, Zaraki crouched, and with Yachiru still perched on his shoulder, jumped straight up, spreading his legs to land easily on the blocks that held Rukia's arms still. His Reiatsu erupted out of him in a yellow aura that brought most of the Lieutenants to their knees.

"What are you doing, Zaraki?" He heard Tosen call out. Zaraki's response was to unsheath his Zanpakuto, and place his first two fingers along the back of the blade. Ichimaru grinned wider, not that it was noticed with the stunt Zaraki was pulling. This was going to be very bad. For everyone else, anyway.

Zaraki's grin stretched from ear to ear as he held his fingers along the back of his Zanpakuto. _'Are you ready for this?_' He questioned his Zanpakuto.

_**'Am I ready for this?'**_ He swore he heard his Zanpakuto scoff. _**'I was created ready for this. 'Power of a million Zanpakuto my ass. Show that overgrown pigeon what a **_**real**_** Zanpakuto can do.'**_

Grinning in response to his Zanpakuto's bloodlust, Zaraki ran his fingers along the back of the blade as he intoned. "Kirirei, Kichigai Senshi (Cut the Spirit, Insane Warrior)."

Zaraki's blade gleamed yellow for an instant before returning to normal. The Soukyoku was had covered about half the space between them and was closing fast. Zaraki thrust his blade forward, the tip impacting with the Soukyoku's beak, the combined momentum of both of them embedding the blade halfway into the Soukyoku before its ability took effect.

Soukyoku detonated with a backlash that forced the few Lieutenants who hadn't been overwhelmed by the combined Reiatsu of Zaraki and the Soukyoku to their knees. The flaming pieces that had once been the Soukyoku scattered across the sky, raining down on the hill.

While nearly everyone else was dodging the rain of fire, Mayuri Kurotsuchi stared up at the jagged edge of Zaraki's Zanpakuto with unconcealed interest. In spite of being insane and overly obsessed, the man was a genius and Zaraki's Zanpakuto intrigued him. He could already tell it was totally unique.

Mayuri's yellow eyes narrowed as he stared at the Zanpakuto. A piece of the Soukyoku that had been blasted up into the air came down, headed for Zaraki. He paid close attention as Kenpachi brought his Zanpakuto up, the human sized flaming missile blown apart the same way the Soukyoku had been when Zaraki's Zanpakuto cut into it.

_'Hah, now I understand. His Zanpakuto's effect is twofold. First, when it penetrates into a body of any kind of spiritual substance, be it Reiryoku, Reiatsu, or Reishi, the blade transmits Zaraki's Reiryoku into whatever it hits. This weakens the bonds that hold the mass of power together. Then, the second effect comes into play. With the sword transmitting Zaraki's Reiryoku along itself, it is protected from coming into contact with foreign Reiatsu until it's buried in the opponent. Once Zaraki's Reiryoku has been forced into the opponent and has spread out from the blade, the second ability of it activates. When the blade comes into contact with foreign Reiatsu, it forces the alien Reiatsu away from itself. Violently.'_

_'The interesting thing is that it appears the more powerful the Reiatsu that the blade is buried in, the more strongly the blade reacts, and the more powerful the resulting push is. This means that Zaraki's sword is the only Zanpakuto in all of Soul Society that grows more effective the more powerful the entity he uses it on. Any type of Kido or Zanpakuto attack that relies on Kido he can negate with a swing of his sword, blowing it apart. If he uses it on a soul, the souls bonds are strong enough to not have it be completely blown apart, but the wound the weapon would cause would be tremendous, growing larger in proportion to the amount of Reiatsu the soul he hits contains.'_

While Kurotsuchi was analyzing the release of Zaraki's Zanpakuto, Zaraki himself turned his attention to the blocks holding Rukia in place. He leaned down, thrusting his Zanpakuto into the block holding Rukia's feet, and he grabbed hold of Rukia's white robe with one giant hand, jumping off the blocks and cutting a wide sweep that hit both of the blocks holding her arms. With Rukia freed, Zaraki's momentum carried them to the crossbar on the execution stand.

"Well, now that the Captain's done his part, I think it's time we go do ours." Ikkaku Madarame raced out of the trees, his body tense and ready for battle, Hozukimaru gripped tightly in his hand.

"Ah, it's certainly a shame that I won't get to enjoy the beautiful battle alongside Ikkaku, but duty calls." Yumichika sighed as he too, headed out.

Chad transformed both of his arms as he ran out of the tree cover. "Let's go."

Uryu had already created the bow and materialized the wing of Reiatsu coming off of his right shoulder blade. "It's time for me to head out there."

Yoruichi sighed. "They take everything way too seriously. They should just loosen up and enjoy life a little." She pushed herself off the tree she was leaning against. "Oh, well, I guess there's no helping it."

Rukia had felt the heat of the Soukyoku as it was released, and had deliberately kept her eyes closed, hoping that it would be over with quickly. That hope had been destroyed when she felt and incredible Reiatsu right above her. Opening her eyes, she had seen the mammoth form of the Squad Eleven Captain standing on the blocks holding her arms, Reiatsu billowing around him.

As he destroyed the Soukyoku and the restraints that held her, she looked down to the execution ground, right at Renji, who's eyes blazed determination. _'After all this, he still hasn't given up on me.' _She wasn't sure whether to be grateful to him or to hit him on the head. She wasn't given anymore time to think as Kenpachi raised her over his head.

"Captain Zaraki, what are you doing?"

He looked up at her. "Are you really that dense? I'm saving you from the execution. Me, Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Hitsugaya. Now shut up and let me do my thing." With that he cocked his arm back, like he was getting ready to…

Rukia looked out beyond the immediate grounds of the Soukyoku. She saw several figures in the distance, and could recognize some of them. "Chad. Uryu." She didn't get the time to say anything else as Zaraki suddenly launched her forward with all of his considerable strength.

Tosen knew what was going on. _'I was right about him. He has destroyed the peace, and is now fighting against us!'_

"All Lieutenants, follow and recapture the criminal. We Captains will deal with the traitor." Byakuya barked out.

Each Lieutenant looked to their own Captain for confirmation of the order, and when they got it, they raced off in a group.

Yumichika held onto Rukia, although it had been one tough catch. He watched the crowd of Lieutenants approach them and a smile appeared on his face when Yachiru Kusajishi appeared in front of them. Confused, they all skidded to a halt. Except for Renji Abarai, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Ise Nanao, who darted forward and spun around, facing the rest of the lieutenants with Yachiru.

"So, all of you are traitors as well." Shuhei Hisagi hissed out.

Not bothering to answer, Renji called back over his shoulder. "Yumichika, take her and run. We'll hold them off."

"You'll hold us off." Shuhei continued to act as spokesman for the group. "You do realize that you're outnumbered two to one."

Renji smirked. "I think I've got something that will even the odds." He held his Zanpakuto out in front of him. "Hoero, Zabimaru (Howl, Snake Tail)."

"All Lieutenants can release Shikai. That's not going to help you." This time it was Iba Tetsuzaimon that spoke up.

"You're right. Shikai isn't going to help me." A red aura appeared around Renji, and all of the opposing lieutenants took a step back.

"You can't have attained-"

"BANKAI!" The red energy erupted out of Renji's body, a whirlwind spiraling into existence around him. In response to Renji releasing Bankai, the rest of the lieutenants began to release their Shikai's, the ones on Renji's side slightly faster due to not being surprised at his release of Bankai.

Yachiru pulled her Zanpakuto out of it's sheath, her small hand fitting snugly around the grip. "Hoippu, Kyuubi no Neko (Whip, Nine Tailed Cat)." The Zanpakuto lost the child-like flower pattern on the guard, in fact it lost the guard altogether. The blade split into nine bladed whips, each about four feet long and with a large, heavy, nasty looking sickle blade, looking much like a cats claw on the end. All of them were connected at the now guard-less hilt.

Rangiku pulled her Zanpakuto out as well. "Unare, Haineko (Growl, Ash Cat)." Renji had informed them of the abilities of Kira's Zanpakuto, and Hitsugaya had agreed that she was the best one to handle him. Her blade turned into ash and raced toward Kira, who was just beginning to move after the shock of Renji knowing Bankai.

Haineko slammed into him, throwing him away from the other lieutenants in the group. Confident that Renji, Yachiru, and Nanao could keep the rest of them occupied, she chased after Kira to engage in a one on one battle.

Nanao was the only one in Renji's group that did not release her Zanpakuto. She didn't even draw it out. Instead, she held out her hand, her skill being such that she didn't need the incantation. "Bakudo 61. Rikujokoro! (Six Rods Prison of Light) The six beams of light slammed into the midsection of Momo Hinamori. It wouldn't hold her for long, but as a fellow Kido master, Nanao knew just how deadly Hinamori could be, especially in conjunction with her Zanpakuto. Nanao held out her hand, fingers arched in like claws, sparks flying from between them as again she skipped the incantation. "Hado 63. Raikoho!" (Thunder Roar Cannon)

Momo had just managed to release herself from the binding when beam of yellow, electrically charged energy burst out of Nanao's outstretched hand. "Hajike, Tobiume (Snap, Flying Plum Tree.)" She brought her zanpakuto up, pink energy blazing along both sides of the blade. She poured all the power she could into the sword, slamming it against Nanao's Kido. Winds so strong that it forced Iba Tetsuzaimon and Isane Kotetsu away from the struggle between the two Reiatsu billowed out.

When the spell faded, Momo was panting but unharmed, Tobiume held in front of her. An unspoken conversation went between the two Kido masters, and both of them used Shunpo to take the fight elsewhere, not wanting to risk their comrades getting caught in the crossfire.

That left Yachiru and Renji, the smoke by now having cleared to reveal the giant skeletal snake that was his Bankai. "Hihio Zabimaru (Baboon King Snake Tail).

The remaining lieutenants had shaken off their shock and were beginning to release their own Zanpakuto. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. Karire, Kazeshini (Reap, Wind of Death)." Shuhei released his own Zanpakuto, two double bladed kamas appearing, connected by a chain.

"Ugate, Gonryomaru (Pierce, Solemn Spirit)." Chojiro Sasakibe released his own Zanpakuto, forming a rapier.

"Hashire, Itegumo (Run, Frozen Cloud)." Isane Kotetsu transformed her Zanpakuto into its Shikai state, two blades growing upwards at forty five degree angles from the hilt.

"Buttsubuse, Gegetsuburi (Crush, Five Formed Head)." Marechiyo Omaeada held his giant flail in front of him.

A smile pulled at the edge of Renji's lips. "You're mine. Hikotsu Taiho (Baboon Bone Cannon)." Hihio Zabimaru extended, the segments separating, held together by pink energy. The white skeletal snake head opened and a beam of red energy, much like a cero blasted from its mouth, aimed at Marechiyo. The head of the snake had gotten quite close to the Second Squad Lieutenant before he realized what was going to happen, and he wasn't able to get out of the way of the blast. He held up his Zanpakuto, hoping but not really expecting Gegetsuburi could shield him from the attack.

Renji's Hikotsu Taiho slammed through the flail and hit Marechiyo. Fortunately for him, even though Renji's blast had destroyed his Zanpakuto, most of the pieces were still inbetween him and the attack, which provided a layer of cushion for him, and made it so that he was blasted back by the attack instead of it punching a hole through him.

As the energy that had held the segments of Hihio Zabimaru together was fed into the attack, the segments broke apart, falling in a rain. Isane Kotetsu weaved her way through the segments, taking the opportunity to attack. Little did she know, that was exactly what Renji wanted her to do.

When she was about halfway through the segments, she noticed Renji's expression, one of triumphant glee. All of the segments that had been lying still on the ground rose up and began to glow. She stopped as they swung around, trapping her in a dome made of Hihio Zabimaru's segments, the spines all pointed straight at her. She glanced around wildly, looking for any escape, but there was none. Her wide eyes found Renji's, disbelief evident at the thought that he was actually going to kill her. When the segments began to move in, constricting the dome, he screamed. Lieutenant or not, she didn't want to die, and this was a death sentence every bit as certain as the Soukyoku. She curled up, and thus didn't notice that only a few of the segments attacked as Renji called out the name of the attack. "Higa Zekko (Bite of a Broken Baboon's Fang)."

Six spines pierced her, all in nonvital areas, but it was more than enough to make sure that she was out of this battle. Renji called his snake back, the segments realigning once more, and turned his attention to Iba Tetsuzaimon.

Meanwhile, Yachiru Kusajishi leaped forward to engage Shuhei Hisagi. He sent one of his blades whistling out to hit her, but she flipped up, dodging the attack as she brought her own Shikai whistling around as she passed him, tearing nine bloody gouges in diagonal stripes across his chest and down to his waist. Landing behind him, she rapidly spun around on one foot, Zanpakuto whirling around her body as she cried out with joy as her Zanpakuto lashed into Hisagi's back three times before he was able to get clear.

Hisagi hissed at the pain, but gave no other reaction to it, instead narrowing his eyes at the Eleventh Squad Lieutenant.

"Zaraki, you, Ikkaku, Yumichika, is the Eleventh Squad nothing but a nest of traitors?"

"We just follow Kenny, that's all. He's the Captain, and you know if you hurt me, Kenny's gonna be mad."

"Kenpachi won't be doing anything. He's fighting every Captain in the Seireitei. He'll be dead within five minutes."

"Kenny won't lose. Besides, he's not fighting every Captain in the Seireitei. He's only fighting against Yamamoto."

"What?" Shuhei's voice was full of shock. "Zaraki's trying to take on the Captain Commander? Yamamoto will destroy him. And even if by some miracle Kenpachi manages to win, my Captain will stop him."

Yachiru giggled. "The blind Captain is fighting Ikkaku."

"You sent your Third Seat to take on a Captain? Squad Eleven claims to be the strongest Squad, but it sounds like your title has gone to your head."

Hihio Zabimaru coiled protectively around Renji as Iba slammed his Zanpakuto down on it, the blade scraping against Renji's Bankai. Renji had already taken out Marechiyo, Isane, and just a minute ago had caught Nemu Kurotsuchi in the jaws of his Bankai. She was now a bleeding mess on the ground.

Too rapidly for him to withdraw, Hihio Zabimaru uncoiled, slamming into Iba's abdomen, sending him flying backwards. While still in midair, he saw the jaws of the Bankai descending on him. He brought his own Zanpakuto up, but the jaws gaped wide, and covered both his Zanpakuto, and his upper body.

Iba twisted his Zanpakuto so that its jaws couldn't close and breathed a sigh of relief. That disappeared when Hihio Zabimaru plowed into the ground and began to drag him through the stone. The jaws opened, the forward momentum still leaving him pinned against the lower jaw, but the upper jaw was no longer shielding him from impacting the stone.

When Hihio Zabimaru ripped out of the ground, Iba flew for a few yards before he landed, skidding across the stone and laying there unmoving.

Renji turned to see Yachiru dancing around Hisagi, whose back had been shredded by her Zanpakuto, the Ninth Squad Lieutenant doing his best to stay at a distance from the pink haired lieutenant, whose Zanpakuto was whirling around her.

Renji shuddered as he remembered the one time he had actually seen her fight in an Eleventh Squad spar. Ikkaku had come out of that fight worse than Renji had ever seen him.

Refocusing on the battle, Renji swung his Bankai around, focusing on the one remaining opponent, Chojiro Sasakibe. The man was the Lieutenant of Squad One, and was rumored to be the strongest of all Lieutenants. Chojiro had not yet attempted to attack him, instead he simply observed the battle, presumably analyzing how Renji's Bankai worked and moved.

"No matter how much you look at it, you're not going to be able to beat it. Or me." Renji said.

Chojiro didn't bother responding, instead using an impressive Shunpo to dart forward, his Zanpakuto poised for a pierce.

'_He's quick. Just a couple of notches below Captain Kuchiki. I guess the whole thing about him being the strongest of the Lieutenants wasn't just hot air after all.'_

However quick Chojiro was, Renji had been training to surpass Captain Kuchiki, and was quick enough to bring Hihio Zabimaru in around him to block the strike.

Chojiro didn't slow down, instead driving the point of his Zanpakuto into the side of Renji's Bankai, easily penetrating the segment. Fortunately for Renji, however, Chojiro's Zanpakuto was not long enough to go through the Bankai and still his Renji, so Renji was able to counterattack, uncoiling Hihio Zabimaru, throwing Chojiro away from him.

"So, when you release your Zanpakuto, the point gets incredible penetrating power, huh? Iba's Zanpakuto didn't even scratch it when released and you're able to go through it like butter. I guess that just means that I can't afford to let you get close." The segments separated, glowing pink energy between them as the jaws gaped wide, a ball of dense red Reiatsu in the throat.

Chojiro used Shunpo to escape the line of fire, getting behind the head of the Bankai, trying to get to Renji while he was still committed to the attack.

"Shit!" Renji cursed. He wasn't very good with his Bankai yet, and he wasn't able to stop the Hikotsu Taiho once he had started firing it. Chojiro came out of Shunpo in front of him, and stabbed straight out with his Gonryomaru.

Renji stepped back, barely dodging the strike, the weight of the massive Bankai hampering his ability to move.

Chojiro instantly recovered from his failed thrust, stepping forward to deliver another thrust.

Renji, off-balance from dodging the previous attack, wasn't able to avoid this one, the blade stabbing into Renji's right lung. Renji stumbled back as pain exploded from his chest, one hand automatically coming up to grip at the wound.

Quick as lightning, Chojiro pulled his Zanpakuto out of Renji's chest, and Gonryomaru whistled through the air as the follow-up strike drove through Renji's throat.

Renji's eyes went wide as a strangled gasp exited his mouth, blood escaping along with the slight sound. Hihio Zabimaru began to dissolve, returning to sealed form as the life left its masters body.

A blue arrow passed right in front of the line of Captains. All heads swiveled as one to face Uryu, who stood with the bow still extended. "I will fight Byakuya Kuchiki." His eyes were focused on the head of the Kuchiki family.

Yamamoto started to turn towards him but a wild yell from Zaraki refocused the older Captain's attention on the berserker, who was falling towards him, eyes turned yellow from his Reiatsu.

Yamamoto discarded the disguise on his Zanpakuto, revealing the sword beneath the cane. In one fluid motion he drew the sword out of its sheath and blocked Zaraki's strike, deflecting Zaraki to the side.

Zaraki laughed as he landed, teeth bared in a feral grin. "You're mine old fart!" Zaraki shouted as he locked blades with the older Captain.

Sajin Komamura stepped forward to assist Yamamoto should he need it, but was stopped by a young man whose arms resembled a Hollow's. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass. I'm supposed to fight you."

"Boy, I have nothing against you. You are just trying to save a friend. But if you do not retreat, I will be forced to kill you."

"I can't back down. I made a promise to a friend." Chad brought his arms up.

Sajin Komamura sighed. "That is regrettable." He drew his Zanpakuto. "Then I will be forced to kill you."

Tosen wasn't paying attention to the other captains. His attention was focused solely on Zaraki. He took a step forward, drawing his sword.

Only to find Ikkaku Madarame directly in front of him. "Sorry, pal, but if you want to get to the Captain, you're going to have to go through me first."

Tosen shifted slightly. "Has Zaraki's madness and insatiable bloodlust infected the rest of his squad as well? Have you all no regard for justice? Do you all simply fight for the sake of fighting?"

"We fight because we want to, but we don't just blindly obey orders either. We do what we think is right, and if we get a good fight in along the way, so much the better."

"I see. Following Zaraki has left you incapable of seeing the consequences of your actions. The entire Eleventh Squad is a threat to the Seireitei. I never wish to kill, but you must be killed to ensure peace and justice!"

Ikkaku pulled out his Zanpakuto and slammed it back together again in one swift motion. "Nobiro, Hozukimaru" Hozukimaru extended into its spear-like form. "What do you say we get this over with quickly?"

Tosen ran forward, Suzumushi coming in an overhead arc. Ikkaku caught it on the tip of Hozukimaru, letting it slide to the side as he brought the back end of the weapon up to hit Tosen in the stomach. Tosen slid to the same side that Suzumushi had went, passing by Ikkaku.

Both combatants spun around to face each other again. Ikkaku dashed forward. Several quick exchanges of blows later, neither one had managed to land a hit on each other, and Ikkaku was pushing the center segment of Hozukimaru against Suzumushi as he and Tosen tried to overpower each other.

"You call yourself a Captain? I had more problems against the Ryoka. You couldn't fight Captain Zaraki. Maybe if you released your Bankai you might get a hit in on him, but that would be all you could do."

"I would not need Bankai against a traitor such as him. Nor do I need it against you."

"I think you'll find out differently." Ikkaku grinned. He'd wanted to show this off for so long. He shoved Tosen off of him and held Hozukimaru in front of him. Slamming two of the segments back together, his Reiatsu engulfed him in a whirlwind as he shouted "BANKAI!"

"Impossible. A third seat can't know Bankai." To say that Tosen was shocked would be an understatement. Two red dragons escaped the side of the whirlwind, climbing up, roaring defiance to the world as they dove into the center of the vortex.

The whirlwind broke apart to reveal Ikkaku with an enormous monk's spade in one hand, an oversized axe blade with a dragon crest on it floating behind him, and his other hand held a Chinese Dao. "Ryumon Hozukimaru (Dragon Crest Demon Light)."

"You said you wouldn't need Bankai to defeat me? Trust me, within five swings I'll have you releasing your Bankai." Ikkaku shot the monk's spade at him. Tosen countered by jumping, bringing Suzumushi up in front of him as he prepared to activate Shikai. "Shishi o Tsubusu yo (Smash His Limbs)." His blade began to vibrate as he drew a circle around himself in the air. "Benihiko (Crimson Flying Locust)." Countless blades formed in the air around him, then rained down on the third seat from eleventh squad.

Ikkaku brought the giant axe over his head, spinning it to form a shield over his head. The crest on the blade was a quarter way filled with red. The blades that Benihiko had summoned hit the central portion of Ryumon Hozukimaru, some of them being deflected, others burying themselves in the axe cleaver, although none went completely through it.

Tosen was still falling when the attack ended, and Ikkaku took advantage of that, launching the Dao at him while simultaneously spinning the central blade around, bringing the monk's spade in from the left. Tosen slammed Suzumushi into the front of the Dao, biting into the blade even as he was pushed back. He heard the second blade coming in and flipped over the Dao, pushing off the oversized weapon, using it as a platform to launch himself at the bald third seat, now that both of Ikkaku's main weapons were behind him, and the central segment already weakened by Benihiko.

Ikkaku grinned as wide as Zaraki as his plan came together. Pulling as hard as he could on both of the chains, he retracted his weapons at the same time he flipped the blade on his back around, releasing the chains so he could grab hold of the axe in front of him.

Tosen was suddenly caught in a pincer, two blades coming at him from behind, Ikkaku with the gigantic axe cleaver in front. He was moving forward, and was unable to walk on the air, this wasn't the mortal world or Hueco Mundo. His mind raced as he tried to figure a way out of the trap.

Finally he decided to go with the lesser of two evils. The weapons that were coming at him from behind were coming pommel first. Neither one had a reverse blade on it, so if he got hit with them, the oversized weapons would cause one hell of an impact, and their corners may cut into him, but that axe would rip him in two.

He brought Suzumushi over, the edge biting into the axe cleaver that Ikkaku was aiming at him. Kaname tensed, and sure enough, the two pommels slammed into his back, driving the breath out of his lungs, and pushing himself and his blade forward, Suzumushi digging even deeper into the central portion of Ryumon Hozukimaru. Ikkaku let go of the central portion to reclaim hold of the chains, pulling them, and thus the blades, around Tosen.

He felt the edge of the monk's spade bite into his side as it passed by him, but the wound wasn't serious. As soon as they were past him, Tosen pushed off of the blade, gaining distance between himself and his enemy. Ikkaku again held both weapons in his hands, the axe blade with the crest floating behind him. The crest was now over half filled with red, and Ikkaku's Reiatsu was increasing.

"If you truly desire to see my Bankai, then I shall show it to you. It will be the last thing you ever see." Tosen held up his sword, hand next to the ring as it began to spin. "Bankai." The ring grew, and spawned nine more, which Tosen threw out with a sweep of his sword to surround himself and Ikkaku. A dark ball formed within each of them, which grew and overlapped each other, forming a dark enclosure that everyone besides Ikkaku and Tosen got out of the way of as soon as they saw it forming. "Suzumushi Tsuishiki, Enma Kourou (Pure Insect Ultimate Form, Demon Cricket of Darkness)."

The fight between Ikkaku Madarame and Kaname Tosen began in earnest.

Shuhei Hisagi was distracted for a second as he felt Tosen's Reiatsu skyrocket as he began his Bankai. That second of distraction proved disastrous. Yachiru was incredibly acrobatic, bouncing around like a monkey on a sugar high, and it took everything he had to keep her at a distance. He was good fighting in close but he didn't want any part of her Zanpakuto, that thing was evil, plain and simple.

He disliked his own Zanpakuto, shaped like something meant to take life, but hers looked like something to not only take life, but inflict a lot of pain in doing so.

In his second of distraction, Yachiru grabbed hold of the chain that connected the blades of Kazeshini and swung herself forward, yelling gleefully. Shuhei instantly focused his attention back to the pink haired terror, but by then it was too late. He jumped back as her Zanpakuto came down, all nine blades catching him in the chest. Seven of the hooks just cut skin and muscle, but two of them caught in-between the ribs.

Yachiru continued her downward momentum, yanking him forward and forcing the blades to cut through the ribs that they were hooked on to. By the time they did, his pain combined with the forced movement knocked him off balance, and he fell heavily on the ground, blood pouring from the wounds. Yachiru jumped up in a forward flip, and with Shuhei on his stomach there was no way to dodge or defend. The nine sickles cut deep into his back, crossing the earlier wounds, and he knew that he had lost.

Yachiru laughed brightly as she landed, turning to face the only remaining Lieutenant, Chojiro.

Her laughter stopped as she saw Chojiro pull his Zanpakuto out of Renji's neck, blood staining the tip.

A pink aura exploded out of Yachiru's body as her vision went red. She had genuinely liked Renji when he was a member of Squad Eleven, and to see him cut down sent her into a rage.

Screaming with fury rather than joy, she darted forward, bringing her Zanpakuto around to inflict the maximum amount of pain possible on the Squad One Lieutenant.

Chojiro turned to face the new threat, sidestepping Yachiru's strike, the blades passing within inches of his side.

He spun, keeping Gonryomaru close to his body as he lined up on Yachiru's back, stabbing out to hit the tiny Lieutenant.

Yachiru saw the strike coming out of the corner of her eye as she was beginning to turn, and ducked under it, coming up inside Chojiro's guard.

Chojiro leapt back as Yachiru swung upward, the heavy blades on the end of her Shikai whistling through the air, simultaneously slashing at her with his own Zanpakuto.

Blood sprayed as both of them were wounded.

Chojiro had nine shallow wounds running up from his waist to his rib cage. Yachiru had been slashed across the shoulder to the collarbone.

Yachiru's eyes, normally bright and cheery were dark and hazed with rage. "You…you…YOU MURDERED RENJI!" She screamed, launching herself at Chojiro, her normal graceful and acrobatic fighting style taking a backseat to her anger.

She charged straight forward, Zanpakuto above her head as she used Shunpo for a straight-line charge. Chojiro held his Zanpakuto in an easy thrusting position, watching for an opening.

With her Zanpakuto above her head, she had no defense whatsoever, and it was impossible to change course in Shunpo, so she was an easy target. Chojiro stabbed forward, impaling the pink-haired Lieutenant up to the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

Yachiru screamed again, this time a mixture of pain and rage, and even as she was skewered, brought her Zanpakuto down in a two-handed swing, focusing every ounce of her strength into the hit.

Chojiro, realizing too late that even impaling the Lieutenant of Squad Eleven wasn't going to stop her, let go of his Zanpakuto, simultaneously backing up and bringing his free arm up to try to protect his head.

Yachiru's strike slammed into Chojiro's forearm first, the sickle-like blades on the end cutting through bone in three places, leaving his forearm hanging by strips of flesh. The blades continued downward, two of them raking across Chojiro's face. Three more found Chojiro's right shoulder, and two found his left, the final two hitting his left collarbone as they descended. Chojiro had been leaning back, so the ones that hit his face weren't very deep, but the ones that hit lower cut far deeper.

The three that hit his right shoulder gashed down to and through the bone. The ones that hit his left shoulder did the same thing. The ones that hit his collarbone tore through it like it was tissue paper, continuing down through the ribs.

Nothing vital was hit, but by the time Yachiru's strike was finished, Chojiro was in no shape to be fighting anyone.

Through hazy eyes, Chojiro watched Yachiru collapse, his Zanpakuto still embedded in her abdomen.

A sudden, sharp impact to the back of his head completed his journey to unconsciousness, and as he fell, Yoruichi's golden eyes looked over the scene.

"You know." She said conversationally to Captain Unohana. "I'm supposed to keep you out of the fight, and keep you from healing people, but some of these guys are in really bad shape."

Unohana nodded as she drew her Zanpakuto. "I'm going to take everyone here to Squad Four Headquarters. There is nothing I can do to stop the battle now, and every second counts for the injured."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi had just begun to move towards Kenpachi Zaraki. The Eleventh and Twelfth Squad hated each other, and the opportunity to take out Kenpachi Zaraki was something that didn't come along every day.

But before he'd even been able to draw his Zanpakuto, a figure was in his way. A very short figure. "Hitsugaya, what are you doing?" Kurotsuchi hissed.

"Your opponent is not Kenpachi. It's me." The young ice-wielder responded. He drew his Zanpakuto off his back, the sheath dissolving as he did so.

"How many of you are there in this conspiracy?"

"Among the Captains? Four. Myself. Zaraki. Kyoraku. Ukitake."

"I see." Mayuri grinned. "In that case, once you're dead, I'll ask to be allowed to perform experiments on your bodies. I've never had the chance to experiment on a Captain class Shinigami before."

"You won't get the chance." Hitsugaya used Shunpo to hit Mayuri. Mayuri blocked with his own Zanpakuto, but that was what Hitsugaya wanted. With a quick push, he sent Mayuri sliding back. Unfortunately for Mayuri, there wasn't much space between him and the edge of the cliff. As his feet went over the edge, he reached out and grabbed on to Hitsugaya's wrist, taking the young prodigy with him over the edge.

Ukitake appeared in front of Aizen, his hand on his Zanpakuto. "If you don't try to interfere, there won't be any need to fight." He stated, inwardly hoping that Aizen wouldn't try anything.

Aizen, meanwhile, was weighing his options. Ukitake was not a pushover, even sick as he was. Fighting him would mean wasting valuable time that he could be using to get his hands on the Hogyoku.

On the other hand, fighting him would also give him the chance to get rid of one of the more powerful Captains in the Seireitei, as well as adding to the chaos in the Seireitei.

Making up his mind, Aizen placed his hand on his own Zanpakuto. "I'm sorry, Ukitake, but it appears that we must fight."

Kyoraku appeared in front of Ichimaru just as the fox-faced Captain had turned to begin pursuit of Rukia.

"I can't let you go after her, Ichimaru."

A soft silver glow sprang to light around Ichimaru as he released his Reiatsu, the force surprising even Kyoraku. _'He's gotten stronger since the Captains Exam.'_

"Well that isn't good, now is it? Because if you draw your sword on me, then I'll have no choice but to kill you."

The fact that Ichimaru said it in his normal mocking voice and grin still plastered on his face sent shivers up and down Kyoraku's spine. Even if Kyoraku was unequivocally stronger, and he wasn't entirely certain that he was, the man still completely freaked him out.

However, before any action could be undertaken, Yamamoto's voice rang out across Soukyoku hill.

"Everyone, clear the area. If you are still here when I begin to fight Zaraki in earnest, you may be killed in the resulting battle. Everyone, leave immediately."

Zaraki's voice followed right after. "That's right. Me and the old fart here are about to go at it, and I don't want any of you idiots getting in the way!"


	9. Execution Day Pt 2

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Everyone on Soukyoku hill with the exception of Tosen and Ikkaku scattered as Yamamoto's command rang out. Uryu and Byakuya's gazes never wavered, their eyes measuring the other. At the same instant, both of them disappeared as they took the fight elsewhere, one using Shunpo, the other Hirenkyaku.

Chad, not having any high-speed movement techniques, was forced to simply run as fast as he could to the other side of the hill, taking the battle near the dead forest where he had waited when the execution was starting. Komamura was in front of him an instant later. Chad brought his fists up, waiting for the Captain to make the first move.

Ichimaru's grin never wavered as both he and Kyoraku shot off in Shunpo, taking their fight down to the forest below Soukyoku hill.

Ukitake locked gazes with Aizen. "Shall we take this to an unoccupied area to reduce collateral damage?"

Aizen nodded, a smile coming to his lips. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Captain Ukitake. The abandoned execution ground?" Aizen offered.

Ukitake's eyes narrowed. The abandoned execution ground. A large open court with several pits lined with Seki-seki rock. If either of them fell in there, they weren't getting out. "Alright." At Ukitake's agreement, Aizen used Shunpo to leave, Ukitake right behind him.

Momo and Nanao both glanced at the Captain Commander, looked at each other, nodded, and took off, getting clear of the area. Rangiku and Kira did much the same, neither wanting to get caught up in a battle between Yamamoto and Zaraki.

Toshiro Hitusgaya and Mayuri Kurotsuchi's blades locked together, neither one willing to give an inch as they plummeted down off of Soukyoku hill. Mayuri's left hand came up to the cap covering his ear, and pulled the end segment off with a squelching sound.

Hitsugaya pushed off as the end turned into a curved blade. "Bankai." Ice spread upward from the sword, covering both of his arms and both his legs. His right hand, which held his sword was free from the ice, but his other hand and feet were completely encased in the ice. His shoulders were covered as well, but his chest was left uncovered. Two large wings sprouted from his shoulderblades, and a tail of ice waved around behind him. He held out his sword, the four star hilt having changed to an eight star one. In a voice as cold as the ice he wielded, he stated. "Daiguren Hyorinmaru (Great Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)."

"Not wasting any time, huh? Alright, if that's the way you want to play it, then I won't either." Mayuri held his sword up in front of him. "Bankai." Mayuri's Zanpakuto began to bubble up from the inside, expanding as it grew into a bloated form, the head of a baby, with two childlike arms connected to what looked like the body of grotesque caterpillar. "Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo (Golden Leg Cutting Jizo)." The baby head, red cape wrapped around it's neck, seemed to swell up, before blowing out the purple poisonous gas that no one was immune to beside Nemu and Mayuri himself.

The cloud of poison covered Hitsugaya, the child prodigy's eyes wide before Mayuri lost sight of him in the gas.

Mayuri was standing on top of his Bankai, and was eyeing the gas cloud nervously. Hitsugaya could fly, those wings weren't just for show, and nobody died of the poison _that _quickly. He half expected an ice dragon to come roaring out of the purple haze.

Unseen by Mayuri, a ball of ice dropped out of the gas. Once it was clear, chunks of it began to flake off, and Hitsugaya's wings opened up. "That was a little too close." As soon as the ice-wielder had seen the gas cloud coming at him, he'd wrapped his wings around himself, using his Zanpakuto's ability to manipulate ice to completely freeze a sphere around him, trapping clean air inside with him, and protecting him from the poison outside.

Once he'd gotten clear, he'd looked up, and began to prepare. He held his sword in front of him, his body tense, gathering his Reiatsu as he prepared for the attack. He looked up at the yellow underbelly of Mayuri's Bankai and shivered in disgust. Just a little longer.

On top of his Bankai, Mayuri Kurotsuchi continued to stare at the dissipating cloud of gas. "There's no way that that finished the little brat. Where could he have gone?"

Ikkaku was in trouble and he knew it. He never even imagined that his was Tosen's bankai. A world totally without sensation, save for touch. _'When the hell did I become such a flowery thinker? Although this does fit with Tosen. They man's a coward. Zaraki's repeatedly said that the only two Shinigami who are afraid of dying are him and Gin Ichimaru, so a bankai that makes it so the enemy can't fight back does seem more to his style.'_ Ikkaku's eyes widened.

'_That's it. He is a coward, so if I spin my blades like this'_ Ikkaku grabbed the central handle and began to spin Ryumon Hozukimaru around on the central pivot, the two oversized weapons spinning around him in a whirlwind _'he won't dare to come near me, because there's no opening like he wants there to be. He can't even come in from above, because the center blade is rotating above my head, and he won't try to block the spinning blades because that will tell me right where he is, and he won't give up his advantage.'_

Ikkaku stood there, spinning the blades as the dragon crest on the center blade completely filled in with red, Ikkaku's Reiatsu climbing to its maximum. _'This solves the immediate problem, but now we're at an impasse, he can't attack me, and I can't get out of his-' _Ikkaku nearly stopped spinning his weapon in shock. _'Wait a minute. When he activated his Bankai, he threw those rings around his us, and then the darkness inside them expanded and covered the whole area. That means that his Bankai only exists as long as I'm between the rings. Once I get out of that area, his Bankai will lose it's effect on me.' _Delighted at having figured it out, Ikkaku began to step to the left, where he remembered there was plenty of room to move._ 'The problem now is that since I can't see where I'm going, I have to move towards the rest of the fighting Captains, since any other direction would lead to me walking off the cliff. That means that as soon as I come out of the Bankai, I'm going to be right in the middle of two or more Captains fighting.'_

Continuing to move to the left, Ikkaku thought _'Tosen won't give up his advantage that easily. He may be a coward, but he's a smart coward, that's how he became Captain. But how's he going to stop me from moving to the outside of his Bankai? He won't try coming in for a direct attack, and he can't use his Shikai abilities in Bankai, so the rain of blades that he used is out. The only other way he could attack me like this is-' _At the exact moment that the thought crossed his mind and he began to react, Tosen hit him with Hado 73, Soren Sokatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down).

Ikkaku had just barely managed to pull the two spinning blades in closer to him before the spell collided with the enormous Chinese Dao. The first shot of blue fire that slammed into his weapon cracked it, the second one shattered it, and as Ikkaku felt the weight on one side decrease, he knew he was in trouble again.

Chad caught another hit from Komamura's Tenken (Heavenly Sword), the impact causing the earth to crack beneath his feet. Chad's arm wavered, but held. Fortunately for Chad, Komamura didn't have the Reiatsu needed to make his Zanpakuto drill through Chad's arm, so all he had to worry about was the impact force. Which was considerable.

Chad brought his other arm around, releasing a blast of white Reiatsu, Komamura countered by bringing his free arm around, a giant arm covered in iron armor materializing to cover his body, protecting him from the assault.

"Why are you fighting?" Komamura asked. "Why would you, a human, come all the way to Soul Society? She broke the law. She deserves to be punished."

"I'm here because I made a promise that I would rescue her. And I can never break that promise."

Komamura sighed under his mask. "I see. You will not be swayed. In a way I understand. I am totally devoted to Captain Commander Yamamoto. If he was in danger I would give up my very life to get him out of it. You have much the same to her." The Captain straightened up. "However, I cannot simply allow you to do this. Yamamoto has commanded that this execution be done. So now, let us see which of us will be forced to stop the other from helping the person that they owe everything to."

Komamura's whole body began to glow. "Bankai." Komamura was outlined with a solid red glow as his a colossal, armored figure rose up behind him, completely clad in iron armor, and holding a sword as large as the Soukyoku's unreleased form. "Kokujo Tengen Myo (Heavenly Punishment of Kokujo's King)." Chad stared up at the armored figure, his whole body tensing. Komamura's arm went up, and the giant behind him followed suit. The resultant swing of the enormous arm slammed into Chad at four times the force that the disembodied arm of Komamura's Shikai had hit. Chad's knees buckled at the impact.

Chad had both transformed arms up, straining against the sword, fortunately it still wasn't cutting, but the force more than made up for that. The Mexican teen was so concentrated on holding the sword back, that he failed to notice the iron giants other arm coming at him from the side. So it came as a complete surprise to him when the giants arm slammed into him at full force, blowing him off his feet and sending him hurtling through the air to land hard on the ground.

Chad coughed up blood. He'd been trapped under the arm, and it had taken a great amount of force to move him, making him take far more damage from the hit than he would have originally. He opened his eyes to see a shadow covering him, and rolled away just in time as Komamura's enormous sword slammed into the ground where he had been just an instant before.

He got to his feet, blood dribbling out of his mouth. He was naturally extremely tough, his body capable of bending a falling steel girder, but that hit had packed much more force than a falling beam ever could. Komamura swung a vast overhead blow at the injured teen. Chad brought both arms up to block it, but this time the force of the blow was too great for him to stop, and he was crushed to the ground, taking even more damage. Chad struggled to get to his feet again, but his legs refused to work, and his arms couldn't get enough strength to move. He saw Komamura walk towards him, and he redoubled his efforts.

His right arm responded, curling inward, his palm flat against the ground as he tried to rise. He saw the red glow surrounding Komamura disappear, his Zanpakuto returning to its sealed state. "I'm truly sorry, Ryoka. But I must fulfill my debt to head Captain Yamamoto. You fought for someone who you owed a debt to. There is no more honorable way to die." He raised the sword above his head. "I take no joy in this. Be at peace, Ryoka."

The sword seemed to come down in slow motion, inch by agonizing inch Chad watched his death approaching. _'Ichigo. I'm sorry.'_ His mind flashed back, the time Ichigo had gotten his necklace back, and saved him from weasel. Ichigo was smashed up, just like he was now, but he'd still taken down all six of them.

'_Ichigo, I'll protect your sisters. I promise.'_ He'd sworn that oath as soon as he'd learned that Ichigo had died. The little dark haired one, what was her name? Karin? Chad remembered how she had hit him for being glad that he was the only one injured.

Why was he here? To save Rukia. She had protected him as well, fought a Hollow that he couldn't even see, despite her powers not being enough to even harm him. And now she was going to die because he wasn't strong enough.

No. Chad felt a pulse deep inside of him. The same pulse that he'd first felt when he'd transformed his right arm, the pulse that signaled that his life would never be the same. It was like a dam broke inside of him. Power flooded through him. Power to make sure that Rukia would not die. Chad was the strong one. He was the protector. And he never, ever left a debt unpaid.

The warmth that the power brought spread throughout his body. It traveled to his arms, and across his chest, linking the two. His eyes glowed white. His Reiatsu burst free of his body, the power exploding out of him, a cloud of dust rising up from around his prone form.

Komamura's sword stopped in its tracks.

Nanao stared watchfully at Momo, who returned the gaze with equal caution. The two Kido masters circled each other warily, each knowing that the slightest error would spell instant defeat at the hands of the other.

Nanao held out her hand, making sure that she could fire a Kido at a moments notice, then reached into her sleeve and pulled out her Zanpakuto, the small tanto flashing in the light. Momo shot a ball of energy from her released Zanpakuto at Nanao, and Nanao dodged, the action opening up just enough of a gap in Nanao's guard that Momo raced to take advantage of. "Hado 4. Byakurai (Pale Lightning)." The bolt of condensed lightning shot straight at the off balance Nanao.

"Bakudo 39. Enkosen (Arc Shield)." The hand that wasn't holding the Zanpakuto swept up, a sheet of condensed Reiatsu bursting forth from her hand to create a shield that stopped Momo's Byakurai. As the smoke cleared, Momo tried to use a physical strike with Tobiume, that was quickly blocked with Nanao's Zanpakuto.

Both combatants broke apart, beginning their wary circling of each other again. Both knew that any mistake would be fatal.

Zaraki's eyes were bright as he readied a tremendous strike at Yamamoto, winding up with his entire torso, bringing his arm across in a devastating slash that would crush any guard it hit.

However, Yamamoto wasn't stupid enough to actually try to block it. The old Captain knew that there was no way he could physically overpower Zaraki. Instead, he was using deft counters that deflected the blow without actually stopping it, using Zaraki's incredible strength and near unstoppable momentum against him.

Yamamoto ducked slightly, that combined with the deflection sent Zaraki's jagged blade whistling over his head, Zaraki's body twisting, following the momentum he'd put into the swing, exposing his back to Yamamoto.

Yamamoto was quick to take advantage, slashing a downward diagonal path with his Zanpakuto, but he underestimated how fast Zaraki could move when he wanted to, and Zaraki's backhand swing caught his, sparks flying as the two blades met.

Yamamoto twisted his blade, letting the other Captain's blade slide by him as he stepped backwards, taking him out of range of Zaraki's strike.

Zaraki's face was twisted into a feral grin as he charged forward, his Zanpakuto flashing in the light. Yamamoto again deflected the blade, his own Zanpakuto lashing out at Zaraki's exposed flank.

Zaraki grabbed Yamamoto's blade, seemingly unconcerned with the edge slicing through his palm. Zaraki twisted his hand, the blade following it, then tightened his grip and gave a savage pull, making Yamamoto stumble forward one step. Zaraki laughed as he brought his own blade around, intending to cleave Yamamoto in half.

Yamamoto stepped forward, thrusting his Zanpakuto forward to loosen Zaraki's grip, then pulling it back in one smooth motion. Blood sprayed from the wound on Zaraki's hand, as Yamamoto had withdrawn his sword, the tip had sliced through part of Zaraki's hand, leaving the last two fingers unusable.

Yamamoto struck out as he passed by Zaraki, slicing a deep gash in Zaraki's side. Zaraki, his swing having missed, spun around to face the older Captain. He brought his left hand up, staring at the wound that went completely through his hand, Yamamoto's sword having sliced through flesh and bone. Blood dripped from the wound, spurting in time with his heartbeat.

A deep yellow aura sprang to life around Zaraki, his eyes turning yellow from his Reiatsu as he grinned even wider. "Now, old fart, that's what I wanted to see from you." Zaraki's voice was low, feral, _growling_. "But you're still not at the level I want to fight you at. Come on, release your Zanpakuto. After all." Zaraki held up his own released Zanpakuto. "If I hit you with this even once, the fight's going to be over."

Yamamoto placed both hands on his Zanpakuto. "Very well. You have committed treason, and the punishment for that is normally death by Soukyoku. However, you have destroyed the Soukyoku, therefore it would be fitting for you to die by the Zanpakuto that most resembles that power."

A flame-like aura appeared around Yamamoto, easily matching Zaraki's. "Bansho Issai Kaijin to Nase, Ryujin Jakka (Reduce All Creation to Ash, Flowing Flame Blade)."

Kenpachi laughed as flames raced along the blade, spreading outward to surround him, trapping him inside a circle of flame with Yamamoto.

Yamamoto swung his sword, and the aura of flame turned the rocky ground into black glass. Zaraki's Reiatsu flared up, protecting him from the flames. "You're not getting me that easily, old fart."

Kyoraku stared across at his opponent, eyes taking in Ichimaru's relaxed form.

In fact, Ichimaru wasn't even paying attention to him, instead looking up at Soukyoku hill. "She's gonna die, you know."

Kyoraku's eyes narrowed. "Who's going to die? Rukia?"

"No, no, no. Your Lieutenant. Your 'Sweet Nanao'." Ichimaru turned towards him, his grin malicious. "It's a shame, really. After all, this will be, what, the second time you've lost a Lieutenant that you cared about?" Ichimaru shook his head in mock sadness. "What was the other one's name? Lisa? Yes, that was it. I can still remember the last time I saw her. Her body on the ground, bleeding from Tosen's attack, a Hollow Mask covering her face. If only she and the others hadn't become Hollows. Then your precious Lisa would still be here. Of course, Tosen helped with them becoming Hollows, but thanks to all of them becoming Hollows, me and Tosen were able to become Captains. So, I guess you could say 'all's well that ends well'. For us at least."

Ichimaru's grin widened at the play of emotions across Kyoraku's face. Shock, disbelief, confusion, and finally anger. Ichimaru held his Zanpakuto in front of him as Kyoraku's face became a mask of rage. _'All too easy.'_

For Ichimaru, there was nothing quite as fun as messing with his opponent's head. And he had definitely gotten to Kyoraku. Just judging from the expression on Kyoraku's face and the sudden flaring of his Reiatsu, Kyoraku was so mad he couldn't see straight.

Kyoraku pulled out his swords, clashing them together as he began to release them. "Hana Kaze Midarete-"

"Ikorose, Shinso (Shoot to Kill, Divine Spear)." Ichimaru's blade glowed white, streaking toward Kyoraku with incredible speed. Kyoraku broke off his release command and dodged to the side, the blade tearing through where he was just an instant before. Ichimaru turned the blade sideways, holding it in it's extended form, and slashed sideways, the glowing white blade cutting through several trees before running into Kyoraku's Zanpakuto, both blades blocking the strike. Ichimaru then let his blade return to normal size, pointing it at Kyoraku, who tensed, waiting for it to strike again.

"That's the problem with having a long release command, Captain Kyoraku." Ichimaru said, his voice mocking. "Unless you have the time to release it, you're helpless against those who can quickly release their swords."

Kyoraku face had returned to a neutral expression, only his eyes betraying the fury that bubbled deep within. He crossed his swords together in front of him again, this time not bothering to say anything. Both swords flashed as they transformed.

"Ah, right, forgot about that." Ichimaru sighed. "Captains like us don't actually need to say the release command, although most of us do it anyway out of habit."

Kyoraku's released swords certainly were impressive. A pair of large Chinese scimitars, black with silver edges. Kyoraku tossed one sword up in the air.

Ichimaru tilted his head. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Hado 88." Kyoraku said, voice cold. Ichimaru's eyes widened slightly, the blood red orbs coming into view. "Hiryugekizokushintenraiho (Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon)."

A massive blast of blue energy exploded from Kyoraku's hand in a beam of destructive power, electricity arcing over and through the attack.

As the attack raced toward him, Ichimaru's grin widened. _'Well, well, doesn't this bring back memories? I'll have to thank Captain Aizen later for showing me how to do this one.'_

"Bakudo 81. Danku (Splitting Void)." A nearly transparent barrier appeared between Ichimaru and Kyoraku, the devastating Hado spell slamming into it, discharging its power in a vain attempt to breach the barrier. The explosion uprooted a couple of trees and scattered dust everywhere, but Ichimaru was left unharmed.

Ichimaru spun around, catching Kyoraku's blow on his sword, leaping backwards to get out of range. "Use the spell to make me defend myself, then hit me from behind. And the speed of that Shunpo. Not bad at all. I can certainly see how you became a Captain."

Kyoraku's gaze didn't waver. "What are you talking about? I was trying to kill you with that spell."

Ichimaru shrugged. "You can't even give someone a compliment without them contradicting you these days. Soul Society sure has soured in the last hundred years or so."

"If what you said about you and Tosen being responsible for the incident a hundred years ago is true, then with you and him as Captains, things couldn't go anywhere but downhill." Kyoraku said, charging at Ichimaru.

Ichimaru ducked under Kyoraku's first swing, blocked the second, and used the momentum to push off. "Now that's kind of harsh, don't you think? After all, even if we did do something way back then, that doesn't mean we've done anything else. People can change, it happens all the time. Besides, I'll bet you can't think of a single other thing we've done that's been detrimental to Soul Society. And killing Captains so we could get a promotion isn't that bad of a thing to do. That's how Zaraki got to be Captain. Why aren't you trying to kill him?"

Ichimaru had to dodge three more strikes in quick succession before Kyoraku answered his question. "Zaraki did it the way it was supposed to be done. He challenged the previous Captain of Squad Eleven, and beat him in a duel. You backstabbed Kensei, and Lisa, and Rose, and Shinji, and all the rest of them!"

Ichimaru shrugged. "Technicalities. It's the spirit that counts, not the details."

"You and Tosen are nothing but scum." Kyoraku snarled. "I can't even imagine what Captain Aizen would think of you, if he could see you now."

Ichimaru leaned forward slightly, his entire posture showing his amusement. "I know exactly what he'd think of me. He'd be very proud. After all, everything we did was on his orders."

Sajin Komamura was thrown backwards, actually launched off his feet as the Ryoka boy tossed him away from him like he was little more than an insect. The cloud of dust from the explosion of Reiatsu that the boy had thrown up still obscured his view, but the amount of controlled power that the boy was letting off was making him uneasy.

Chad stood up, reveling in the newfound power surging through him. He looked down at the new form of his right arm, and the different form of his left. He raised his eyes and stared at the Captain with the basket over his head.

Komamura, in turn, stared at the changes that the Ryoka had undergone. His right shoulder was now covered in a red and black armor plate. His forearm was widened, looking like a shield, with a pair of jaws and a rose decorating the front. The shield extended up, past his elbow, and covered his upper arm from being seen.

The Ryoka's left arm was black with three red lines running down the outside. Eight spikes ringed the wrist, each about two inches long. The arm was slim and streamlined, the shoulder being home to a red fin that looked almost like the dorsal fin on a shark.

But it was the chest that caught the Captains attention. Black armor covered the boys chest, spreading from both of his shoulders to cover the entire rib area. At the dead center, right over where his sternum should be, was a hole.

It didn't go all the way through his body, he couldn't see out the other side of it, but it looked so like a Hollow hole that for an instant he thought the boy had turned into a hollow. Looking more closely, he could see the lines that were indented into the black plates, almost looking like they were seared there. There were eight of them that spiraled in towards the center of the hole, all eight of them seeming to run and merge into the intricate red designs of the boy's right arm.

"I understand now. My body will only give me the power to win if I truly desire to win, and desire it for the right reasons." Chad took a step forward. "The soul of my Abuelo (Grandfather) resides in my right arm." He held up the limb. "This is Brazo Derecha de Gigante (Right Arm of the Giant). The greater my desire to protect, the more powerful this arms becomes, as my soul and his harmonize."

Chad then held up his other arm. "This is Brazo Izquierda del Diablo (Left Arm of the Devil). The soul of Ichigo Kurosaki lives in this arm. Ichigo taught me that in order to defend, sometimes you must attack. The more I desire to defeat my opponent, the more power I gain from this arm."

"And what of the hole in your chest. Is that someone's soul as well? The way you're talking about it, as well as the hole in your chest makes it seem like you are a Hollow of some type."

"I don't honestly know where my powers came from. Everything that I'm saying is what I feel in my heart to be true. When I first activated my powers, it was because I both wanted to protect Karin Kurosaki, and I wanted to defeat the Hollow that was attacking. When I next transformed, it was because I made a promise that I would protect Ichigo's sisters. Now, I transformed again because I needed to protect Rukia, who Ichigo tried to protect at the cost of his life, and I needed to defeat you."

Sajin Komamura held his sword up and once again activated his Bankai. "Then we shall see how far this transformation gets you." With that he swung a massive overhead blow down on Chad, attempting to crush him like he had before. Chad reached up with his right arm and caught the enormous blade of Komamura's Bankai on his shield.

His feet were slammed into the ground, a crater forming from the impact, but his right arm was steady as a rock as it held the oversized weapon from him. Chad held out his left arm, black energy sparking from the spines surrounding his wrist. The Reiatsu streamed from the ends of the spikes over his closed fist to gather in an orb about an inch away from his closed fingers.

Watching the energy begin to swirl, Komamura was in shock. _'Cero. The boy's using a Cero. How? How can a human use the Hollow Cero. Even the Reiatsu feels like a Hollow's, yet he's clearly not one. He's not even a demi-Hollow, since the hole didn't appear until after he transformed. So why are his powers so similar to a Hollow's? Even his skin seems like a version of the Arrancar Hierro. At least on the transformed parts.'_

The ball of energy finished charging and Chad mouthed two words. "El Directo (Strike of the Giant)." The black beam of devastation poured out of Chad's fist.

Komamura brought his own arm around, the enormous armored form of his Bankai following suit, his whole body covered by the ironclad arm. The Cero, regardless of what the boy called it, that was what it was the Komamura, slammed into the iron arm, and Komamura actually had to settle into his stance and put all the strength he could against it to stop himself from getting pushed back.

When the blast faded, the iron armor covering the arm was scorched and cracked, and Chad had to admit that he was impressed with the power of the new attack. But he wasn't given the time to really contemplate it because Komamura just took another giant swing at him, which Chad again blocked, his left arm already forming another El Directo.

Chad's body again shuddered under the impact, but his new right arm held strong. He tilted his arm, letting the sword slide off to hit the ground next to him with terrible force, kicking up a large dust cloud as he did so.

Chad raced forward, his left arm tucked in close to his body. Komamura swept his giant sword sideways, the blade still embedded in the ground. Chad took a tremendous leap, his natural physical abilities for the untransformed portions of his body still receiving a boost from the transformation. Chad landed on top of the sword, then ducked into a roll as Komamura's other fist came around. The roll dropped him off the sword, and suddenly he was inside Komamura's guard, El Directo fully charged.

Komamura realized that Chad was far too close for him to effectively use the giant arms of his Bankai, so he fell back on another area of Shinigami combat. Hakuda.

Komamura reached out with his free hand, grabbing Chad's forearm, pulling Chad off-balance and redirecting his attack up and to the side. The blast of black Reiatsu tore past Komamura, although the fringe of the blast was enough to break one side of his helmet, the rest of it falling to pieces around Komamura, revealing his face to the world.

The Reiatsu died down, and both combatants stared at each other, Chad tilting his head, staring Komamura's vulpine features. "You don't look surprised."

Chad shrugged. "You are what you are. With the way my body looks right now, I can't say anything." Sajin nodded slightly in appreciation.

"You are far more accepting than most people. It is truly a shame that you and I are on opposing sides." Komamura sighed. "Knowing that you owe the Kuchiki girl your life, it would be insulting of me to ask that you back down. But still, you are a good person. May I ask you for your name?"

"Chad."

"I am Sajin Komamura, the Captain of the Seventh Squad." Komamura maintained his grip on Chad's arm. "Then now, Chad, know that if I kill you, you have my respect."

"And you have mine." Komamura's foot came up, slamming into Chad's stomach, throwing him back. Chad landed on his back, but rolled quickly to his feet, dodging the swing of Komamura's massive Bankai. Chad ran forward, El Directo again charging up over his left hand. Komamura brought his sword around in a sideways swing, not wanting to give Chad the opening that an overhead attack would give him. Chad jumped up, landing on the flat of the blade as he continued to run forward. Chad leapt off of the sword too quickly for Komamura to hit him with his free hand.

Chad positioned himself so that he was almost directly over the Captain, thus rendering it impossible for Komamura to hit him with the Bankai without the Captain hitting himself with his own attack. Chad pulled his arm back, then thrust forward as he let loose an El Directo. The Captain brought his hand around to block, catching the black energy in one gloved hand, pouring his Reiatsu into resisting the attack. Chad fell, landing in front of Komamura, the residual power from the blast still making Komamura hold it back.

Which meant it was time to finish it. White Reiatsu streamed off the back of the shield on his right arm, and he swung in an uppercut, the white energy released in a beam, even as Komamura's sword sliced deep into Chad's abdomen.

Both combatants were blown away by the others attacks. The blast caught Komamura square in the center of the chest. While it wasn't as powerful as the Cero Chad had been using, it was still sufficient to knock him off of his feet, which made for a rather comical scene as his Bankai was also knocked off its feet.

Chad was thrown to the side by the force of Komamura's attack, the blade having sliced nearly halfway through him. He landed hard on his uninjured side, the impact jarring him. His hand came up to grasp at his wound and he grimaced. Even with his new transformation, that Captain was still pushing him around.

Komamura used Shunpo to appear behind Chad, no longer in Bankai, and just as Chad started to move, the hilt of Komamura's sword slammed into Chad's head. Chad groaned as the impact left him woozy. A second hit was needed to send him fully into unconsciousness.

Komamura stared down at Chad, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment of deliberation, he sighed and picked Chad up. "I cannot fault you for doing what I would do in a similar situation. So, I will not kill you. Captain Commander Yamamoto will be the one to decide your fate. Until then, rest." Komamura set off for Squad Four.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi felt the massive release of Reiatsu from underneath his Bankai and smiled, which on him was a scary expression. _'Hitsugaya can't perform a technique large enough to incapacitate my Bankai. I wonder what the little brat is planning down there?'_

His question was answered when a dozen ice pillars rose up and surrounded his Bankai. Mentally, he cursed. _'When the brat demonstrated his Bankai, it was still incomplete due to his age. It seems he's managed to gain at least one more technique without anyone knowing.'_

Underneath the mad scientist, Hitsugaya turned his sword sideways. "Sennen Hyoro (Thousand Years Ice Prison)." Above him, the pillars of ice moved inwards, crushing and freezing the giant slug that was Mayuri's Bankai. Mayuri himself was able to avoid the fate of his Bankai, as he jumped clear before the ice was able to catch him. Due to Hitsugaya having to make the pillars large enough to destroy Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, Mayuri was able to escape from a gap in between them.

As Mayuri fell, Hitsugaya flew up to engage him. Hyorinmaru slammed into the now Shikai form of Ashisogi Jizo. Mayuri still held the kusarigama that came from the cap on his ear, and used it to try to wound the young captain. His blade was met by a crescent shaped blade attached by a chain to Hyorinmaru's hilt. "I don't think so, Mayuri."

As Mayuri fell, the two of them clashed and broke apart, neither of them able to gain the upper hand, until Hitsugaya surprised Mayuri by using his tail in a sweeping attack to freeze the hand that was manipulating the kusarigama. Taking advantage of the opening that the attack provided, he brought Hyorinmaru in an overhead slash, forcing Mayuri to bring his own Zanpakuto up to block it. With one hand frozen and the other one occupied, Hitsugaya held his sickle like blade in his ice covered left hand, bringing it forward and shattering Mayuri's frozen left hand.

Ice blossomed out from the stump that was now Kurotsuchi's left hand, covering the entirety of the arm and Kurotsuchi's eyes widened. "I see." He commented as he broke away. "You can use Ryusenka (Dragon Hail Flower) even with that little blade that comes out of your hilt."

By that time they had cleared the remaining distance to the ground, and both of them landed lightly. Mayuri looked down at his frozen limb in an almost abstract fashion, like it wasn't even his. Calmly, he used the hilt of his Zanpakuto to shatter the rest of his arm, the pulled out a syringe that the pressed into his shoulder. Hitsugaya watched in horrified fascination as the stump was surrounded in a sickly purple glow, the flesh underneath the captains haori bubbling and writhing as it extended outwards, forming a completely new arm.

"Now, where were we?" Asked the Captain of Twelfth Squad. Not deigning to reply, Hitsugaya attacked.

Uryu Ishida stared down Byakuya Kuchiki, the wing of Reiatsu bright behind him. "You defeated Soi Fon. It is known that a Quincy defeated her, and I'd hate to think there's more than one Quincy running amok in the Soul Society. If you defeated her, then you are incredibly fast, so I won't bother trying to use the unsealed form of my Zanpakuto on you. Given your abilities, it would seem even beyond Shikai. Therefore, Quincy, I shall show you my Bankai. And then, you will die. Just like the other boy who tried to stop me from executing Rukia."

At the mention of Ichigo, Uryu's anger flared bright. Fuck any promise to Urahara, fuck it if he could be defending his hometown from Hollows in the war that Yoruichi had hinted at, this man was going to _die._ And Uryu was going to enjoy every second of it.


	10. Execution Day Pt 3

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

"Bankai." Byakuya Kuchiki dropped his sword down, the sword disappearing as it sank into the ground.

Uryu, having heard about Bankai, didn't wait for whatever the Bankai was to activate. Bringing up his bow, he opened one hand, letting streams of power flow from the wing on his back to form an arrow, while at the same time giant blades protruded from the ground in two rows, their backs to Byakuya Kuchiki. The arrow just finished solidly forming in Uryu's hand when Byakuya spoke.

"Chire, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (Scatter, Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms)." The swords broke apart into a dazzling display of pink light, and arrow that Uryu fired was stopped by a mass of pink petals.

_'Pink? What kind of man uses pink weapons? Is he gay? Then again, that would explain the hair.'_ Uryu pulled himself out of his mental insults towards the man and used Hirenkyaku to sidestep the mass of pink petals that had come barreling towards him. He brought the bow up again, firing off another arrow.

"Useless." The word had no emotion in it, just a statement of fact. Or at least what Byakuya believed was fact. A mass of pink petals stopped the arrow, and the black haired noble reasserted conscious control over the group of petals that the Quincy had dodged. They shot at him from behind, but Uryu was too wary to get caught in that kind of a trap, and used the Hirenkyaku again to dodge.

For a time the battle went on like that, Uryu unable to get past Byakuya's defense, and Byakuya simply unable to hit Uryu. The Captain of Sixth Squad had tried repeatedly to get him in a position where he was surrounded, but Uryu always managed to see the trap coming and dodge before it could close.

_'At this rate it's going to turn into a war of attrition. But fortunately, I have a major advantage in that.' _Uryu could feel the Reiatsu that Byakuya was using to control his pink petals of doom, and he was taking a lot of it to keep himself going. Being in Soul Society gave him a major power boost to begin with, but with the amount of Reiatsu that Byakuya was giving off to control the hundred million tiny blades that made up his Bankai, Uryu was soaking up so much power that he could keep going all day if he had to.

A fact that Byakuya was noticing himself. He had never personally fought a Quincy, but had studied them, and he knew what the basis of their powers were. He couldn't afford to get into a battle of stamina, he'd lose. But at the same time, he also wasn't fast enough to beat the Quincy with his Zanpakuto sealed, and if Bankai wasn't cutting it, then it was a guarantee that Shikai couldn't do a damned thing.

Byakuya was proud of his speed. He'd trained under the Goddess of Flash herself, after all. But Soi Fon was faster than he was, and she had lost to this same Quincy. So he couldn't match the intruder in speed, he couldn't afford to play tag with him all day long, he could hold his Bankai for a long time, but the Quincy could go for days on end with all the power around him. It was time to switch tactics.

"You are strong, Quincy, so I will show you the true form of Senbonzakura. This form abandons defense to focus purely on slaying the enemy. No one who has seen this technique has lived." Byakuya formed the second stage of his Bankai, the thousand swords surrounding the two of them.

"I see." Uryu smirked. "You'll have far greater control over these swords than you ever did with the mass of blades you tried to swarm me with earlier. You control the sword fragments that make up your Bankai with your mind, right? That's got to be difficult, controlling all those little blades with your mind. With this you're only controlling a fraction as many blades as you were, granting you far more control." Uryu formed another arrow. "Not that it's going to matter. You still can't catch me with those. And without any defense, I'm going to turn you into a sieve."

"Very perceptive, Quincy. You are correct. Without any defense from my Bankai, you could easily kill me. Unfortunately for you, I'm not a rank amateur, and will not give you the chance. Bakudo 81. Danku (Splitting Void)." A wall of energy shimmered into existence in front of him, separating him from Uryu. "This spell can block Hado spells up to 89. Your arrows will not be able to penetrate it." Byakuya quickly formed three more walls around him, forming a box, then finished with one final spell to protect him from getting hit from above. "You cannot hurt me. And you will make a mistake eventually. Just one, because the first one you make will be the one that kills you."

"We'll see." Uryu's eyes were like chips of diamond behind his glasses.

Ikkaku was holding his giant monk's spade in one hand and the center axe blade in the other, moving them both around so that they covered as much of him as he could make them. Tosen was out there, still waiting, that much he knew.

Tosen had taken out one of the blades with Kido, but now that he couldn't use the spinning of his blades to protect him, Tosen would come in close. The man's twisted sense of justice would compel him to finish Ikkaku off with his own hands.

Ikkaku closed his eyes. They weren't doing him any good open, and it allowed him to concentrate on the only sense he had left. Touch.

Ikkaku held his weapons tightly, the chain loose between them. If he played it right, he could catch Tosen in the chain, and finish him while he couldn't move.

All he could do at the moment though, was wait. Wait for the attack to come.

Uryu formed another arrow, sidestepping two swords that had come flying at him. He knew he was in a bad position, completely surrounded the Byakuya's weapons. At least with Soi Fon he'd only had to worry about attacks coming from one direction.

Byakuya's Kido walls that he was using to protect himself were incredibly tough, Uryu had found out. It had annoyed him greatly when he found out the Byakuya was right, and his arrows couldn't penetrate the barriers. At least, not his normal ones. A plan began forming in Uryu's mind, even as he used Hirenkyaku again.

Hirenkyaku created a current underneath the feet. Using that, he brought himself around, releasing his arrow at Byakuya's side, not slowing down in the slightest as he fired. The resulting explosion from the arrow releasing all it's pent up energy as it collided with the barrier gave Uryu the concealment that he needed, and he rode the current to above the Sixth Squad Captain. Channeling all the power that he could, he formed the strongest arrow that he had ever created. Uryu continued to pack power into the arrow he was forming, until the arrow's aura alone was nearly burning his hand. _'This should do it. If this can't break that damned barrier, nothing can.'_ Uryu thought as he unleashed the arrow into the Kido at point blank range, making sure none of the power was lost due to distance. Byakuya had just sensed his presence and began to move his head to look upward at him when Uryu fired. The arrow hit the barrier, the irresistible force straining against the immovable object. The barrier shattered, the arrow exploding at the same time.

Uryu was blown away by the force of the explosion, the concussive shockwave of the blast slamming into him like a freight train, his control over the Hirenkyaku vanishing as he was sent flying.

Byakuya was slightly delayed, being forced to dissolve the other four walls before he could get out of the self-made prison, and he had just started to use Shunpo when the explosion overtook, the shockwave knocking him to the ground, where the supercharged Reiatsu washed over him a second later. Fortunately for him, a large part of the arrows power had been expended trying to get through the Danku. Compounding that with the fact that the explosion was omni-directional instead of being focused towards him, and he was left with no more than a couple of mild burns and a few scratches.

Growling in frustration, Uryu righted himself in midair, forming another arrow, which he launched at the Sixth Squad Captain as he got back to his feet, but the arrow was blocked by a mass of pink petals. Looking around, he saw that all the swords were dissolving back into pink petals, but this time, he was caught in the middle, with what looked like no way out.

"Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (Pivotal Scene, Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms)." All the blades began to swirl around , creating a dome that Uryu couldn't escape from. "This form of Senbonzakura uses all one hundred million blades to create a sphere from which there is no escape. All the blades will rush at you at once, imploding in on you, and you will be destroyed."

Uryu looked around, trying to find an opening, but there wasn't one. When he looked back towards his enemy, he wasn't there, already having disappeared, getting away from the devastation.

Uryu held up his hand, drawing all the power he could muster into an arrow. Right before the sphere imploded on him, Uryu shot the arrow, following right behind it as the aura that the arrow exuded burned it's way through the sphere, leaving him just enough of a gap that if he followed right behind the arrow, he could escape.

Byakuya watched as the sphere of petals collapsed inwards, falling down to land lightly on his feet. He'd had to put all of his effort into dodging that attack, had he remained he would have been shredded by his own technique. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the streak of blue energy penetrate the dome, followed by a sliver of white that he instantly identified as the Quincy. Byakuya frowned. He was running out of energy, his ability to maintain his Bankai was being pushed to its limit. He began to draw the petals back to him, preparing for another assault.

Tosen held out his hand. "Bakudo 4. Hainawa (Crawling Rope)." Energy ropes slid out of Tosen's hand, wrapping around Ikkaku, holding him still.

_'Aw, shit, it's times like now that I really regret never learning Kido.'_ Ikkaku thought frantically as he tried to break the ropes.

Before he could, however, Tosen buried Suzumushi up to the hilt in his stomach. Ikkaku stiffened from the sudden pain, coughing up blood as the ropes disintegrated.

Tosen turned the blade in the wound, blood spurting out from around the gash, but before he could pull it out, Ikkaku did something that he didn't expect. Ikkaku let go of the giant axe in his left hand, and grabbed onto the chain, swinging it around so it bound the two of them together, his right arm held up high, the monks spade seeming even larger to Tosen as it was held above the bald mans head.

A crazed grin, much like Kenpachi's appeared on Ikkaku's face. Although Tosen had reacted quickly enough to make sure one hand escaped being bound by the chain, Ikkaku was certain that Tosen couldn't stop his blade with one hand. With the last of his strength, Ikkaku brought the oversized monk's spade down on the blind Captain with all the power he could muster.

Tosen positioned his free hand between him and Ikkaku's blade. "Hado 54. Haien (Abolishing Flame)."

A blast of purple Reiatsu shot out from Tosen's hand. When it hit the monk's spade, the spell engulfed the oversized blade, melting it, then disintegrating it, the heat proving far too much for the defensively weak Bankai.

Although Ikkaku couldn't see it, he felt the weight of the blade disappear, and knew that his final hope was dashed.

'_This sucks. I never thought I'd go out like this.'_ Ikkaku thought as his Bankai dissolved, Tosen pulled his blade upwards, slicing through the rib cage, cutting both Ikkaku's heart and his lung before pulling the blade out. The Third Seat of Eleventh Squad collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

Aizen and Ukitake stood between two of the open pits that were formerly used for the execution of Hollows. The white stone reflected the sun, leaving nearly no shadows in the execution grounds, everything outlined in stark detail by the unforgiving light.

"Shall we begin, Captain Ukitake?" Aizen asked politely.

"I'd rather we didn't."

"Unfortunately, you and I are on opposite sides here, so fight we must."

"Very well." Ukitake closed his eyes.

When he re-opened them, they were harder, determination flaring. "Naki Kotogotoku Waga Tate to Nare, Ikazuchi Kotogotoku Waga Yaiba to Nare, Sogyo no Kotowari (All Waves, Rise Now and Become My Shield, All Lightning, Strike Now and Become My Blade, Rejection of Twin Fishes)."

Aizen raised his hand. "Hado 63. Raikoho (Thunder Roar Cannon)." The electrical energy arced out from Aizen's hand, surging toward the white-haired Captain.

In a single fluid motion, Ukitake placed the sword in his left hand in front of him, Sogyo no Kotowari's unusually shaped blade absorbing the attack, transmitting it through the cord that connected the two swords, speeding it up as it passed through the five charms, before finally exiting out of the blade in Ukitake's right hand, shooting the Kido spell back at Aizen, the beam of electricity moving even faster than before.

Aizen held out his hand, batting the energy away from him with almost contemptuous ease. His eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. "Hado 4. Byakurai (White Lightning)."

Again, Ukitake shot the spell back at Aizen, and again Aizen effortlessly deflected the Kido away from him.

"One more time, just to make sure." Aizen murmured. "Hado 73. Soren Sokatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down." Two flame-like bursts of Kido shot out of Aizen's hand, one right after the other. Ukitake again held up his hand, the blade transferring the energy along the cord to the other blade, which fired the spell back at Aizen.

Aizen again calmly deflected the spell. "I see. Your Zanpakuto lets you absorb incoming energy, then transfers it through the cord, speeding it up each time it passes by one of the charms on your cord. The power of the attack doesn't seem to matter, however, there was a slight lag in the transfer time for the second shot of the Soren Sokatsui. That means your Zanpakuto isn't well equipped to handling multiple attacks simultaneously, or even in rapid succession." Aizen paused for a second. "You can only have one attack being redirected through your sword at a time."

Ukitake's eyes widened slightly. _'He was able to figure out how my Zanpakuto works, and its primary weakness simply by firing a couple of Kido spells at me.'_

Aizen drew his own Zanpakuto. "However, except for Soren Sokatsui, there are no Kido spells that fire more than one blast in rapid succession. Which means that Kido will more than likely not be a factor in this battle. I do wonder, though."

"Wonder what, Aizen?" Ukitake asked.

"Even during your periods of better health, your illness takes quite a bit out of you. So I wonder, how will you fare in a Zanjutsu contest?"

Ukitake tightened his grip on his swords. Aizen was right, in a battle of strength and speed, which was largely what Zanjutsu required, he was at a disadvantage. However, he had one ace up his sleeve. If he was quick enough, he could use it to end the fight before Aizen realized exactly what was going on. If that didn't work, then it was likely he would be forced to go to Bankai, not something he wanted to do.

Ukitake blocked Aizen's first strike, retaliating instantly with the other sword. Aizen's brow furrowed slightly when the blades made contact, but moved to block the strike. Aizen frowned when the blade made contact, but his arm held steady.

'_I can't believe it. He shouldn't have been able to block that strike without his arm even moving.' _Ukitake thought.

Aizen disappeared in a blur of Shunpo, reappearing several yards away from Ukitake. He stared at Ukitake thoughtfully for a moment before smiling. "I see. I thought it was very odd that I felt no impact when our blades initially clashed. And then your second strike was far stronger than I had anticipated. Your Zanpakuto is capable of absorbing all types of energy, including the kinetic energy produced when our blades make contact with each other. It then transfers the energy to the other sword for a counterattack that is enhanced with the force taken from the initial strike."

Ukitake just stared. _'Again. He figured out my Zanpakuto's ability again simply by encountering it once. Ordinarily it takes people several times to guess what's happening, but he sees it once and he instantly knows what it does.'_

"Your Zanpakuto seems to lend itself well to a defensive style of combat, counterattacking with your enemy's power added onto your own, allowing you to inflict heavy damage without too much effort, fitting for someone who's always had a frail constitution. But." Aizen smirked slightly. "In order for that to work, you need to be able to make your swords contact your enemy's attack. If you can't do that, then the entire fight turns away from you." Aizen held up his Zanpakuto. "Kudakero, Kyoka Suigetsu (Shatter, Mirror Flower Water Moon)."

Aizen's Zanpakuto flashed white for an instant, then returned to normal. Ukitake eyed it uneasily, just because it didn't look any different didn't mean it was harmless. All that happened visually when Zaraki released his sword was a brief flash of yellow light, very similar to Aizen's, but that thing could blow apart the Soukyoku. It would be foolish to underestimate Aizen's Zanpakuto, and Ukitake had no intention of doing so.

Aizen held out his free hand, a ball of red flame gathering on his palm. _'Shakkaho (Shot of Red Flame)? Why is he doing a Shakkaho after releasing his Zanpakuto? Especially when he knows I can counter something like that?'_

The answer came in the form of two fingers pressed against his back. "Hado 11. Tsuzuri Raiden (Bound Lightning)."

Unlike the Byakurai, which pierced through a target, the Tsuzuri Raiden was designed to electrocute a target. And it did a fine job of that. Ukitake's body froze, his eyes bulging as electricity raced through his body, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

As soon as Aizen removed his fingers from Ukitake's back, the older Captain collapsed, his extremities twitching as the residual electricity ran through his body. The electricity had also caused his lungs to spasm, shaking loose some of the blood and infection in his lungs, which he coughed up, leaving an ugly red and yellow stain on the ground.

"I'm truly sorry, Captain Ukitake." Aizen said, his sword raised for the coup-de-grace.

Ukitake's hands tightened on the grip of his Zanpakuto. Taking a shuddering breath and forcing his limbs to stop twitching, he gathered his Reiatsu, blocking Aizen's attack and swiped at him with the other sword, forcing Aizen to take a step back. And that step back was all Ukitake needed.

"Bankai."

Shunsui Kyoraku was getting very frustrated. Ichimaru was a surprisingly slippery opponent. Not extremely powerful, at least not until he went Bankai, but he was an expert at using everything he possibly could to his advantage. Like the forest they were currently in.

Shinso came spearing in from the right, the glowing white blade alerting him to its presence, Kyoraku parrying the blade with the sword in his right hand, the one in his left slashing out, sending a blast of wind out to try to hit the silver-haired traitor. Shinso retracted even as Kyoraku attacked, and he knew that he had missed again.

Kyoraku bit back the urge to go Bankai and level the entire forest. For one thing, doing that would leave old man Yama even more pissed off at him than he already was, and Kyoraku was going to have to do some fast talking on the old man to keep from getting roasted the next time he saw him. Hopefully turning in Ichimaru and the rest of his little gang would give him some wiggle room with Yamamoto. The second reason he resisted the idea of going Bankai was the fact that if he went Bankai, Ichimaru would too, and he had no desire to face that damned thing. If there was a scarier Bankai out there, Kyoraku had yet to see it.

"You'll have to do better than that, _Captain _Kyoraku." Ichimaru's mocking voice came from out of the trees. Kyoraku quickly sent a blast of wind to where the voice seemed to have come from, but wasn't able to hit anything.

"Quit acting like a damned snake and actually get out here and fight me." Kyoraku growled.

"Hmm, let me think. No." Ichimaru voice called out. "I'm sorry Captain Kyoraku, but I'm having way too much fun." Kyoraku tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto, resisting the temptation to lash out at where the voice came from. He hadn't hit anything doing that so far, and he doubted it would work any better now.

"And so the lance of light pierced the creature of darkness, banishing it to the netherworld, and the hero stood triumphant." Ichimaru recited as Kyoraku barely dodged Shinso's attack, the extending white blade looking somewhat like a moving lance.

"I've heard that before." Kyoraku muttered to himself. "You read Jushiro's novels? Sogyo no Okotowari (Rejection of Twin Fishes)." Kyoraku listened for Ichimaru's response, trying to figure out where the prodigy was.

"Just the good parts." Ichimaru replied.

To the left. He was now to Kyoraku's left. Kyoraku spoke again, hoping to get a better fix on his position. "You seem to have gotten the parts mixed up if you think you're the hero."

Before Ichimaru could reply, both of them sensed Ukitake's Reiatsu rise sharply. "Jushiro's going Bankai?"

"Poor Captain Ukitake." Ichimaru's voice rang out. "I hope Captain Aizen doesn't kill him. I do enjoy those novels."

As Kenpachi slammed through yet another wall of flame, Yamamoto was forced to conclude that Zaraki had improved tremendously since Yamamoto had coerced him into taking proper swordsmanship lessons over a hundred years ago.

Despite not knowing Shunpo, Zaraki was amazingly fast, especially his reaction time. Several times Yamamoto had thought Zaraki couldn't possibly react fast enough to parry his blow, and every time he was proven wrong.

Zaraki had gained two more injuries since Yamamoto had released Shikai, neither of them serious. A burn across one hip, and a seared cut along the outside of his right arm.

"Come on, old fart!" Zaraki yelled as Yamamoto dodged another strike. "Quit running around! Stand and fight me!" The ring of fire surrounding the two flickered, the light casting shadows in ever-changing patterns.

Yamamoto retaliated as he jumped back, sending three separate blasts of flame at Zaraki, two racing around to attack him from the side, the other coming at him head on. The mammoth Squad Eleven Captain swung his sword, blowing apart the stream of flames coming in from his right, then cutting apart the blast coming in from the front. The fire coming in from the left he batted away with his already injured hand and a blast of Reiatsu, not caring about the burns that the maneuver left him, covering his arm nearly to the elbow.

"Quit hiding behind your Zanpakuto, you damned coward!" Zaraki yelled as he charged.

"If you used and trusted your Zanpakuto, Zaraki, you might have a chance at defeating me." Yamamoto replied coldly.

Zaraki laughed as he swung, Yamamoto ducking under the strike. "Just because I don't have Bankai doesn't mean you're going to win. Nor does it mean you can take me lightly!"

For the first time, Yamamoto was caught off guard. Zaraki had performed the same maneuver half a dozen other times in the battle, and every previous time had been followed by a backhand swing to cover the opening left in his guard and counter Yamamoto's strike. This time, however, instead of striking at Zaraki's body, Yamamoto had attempted to hit Zaraki's outstretched sword arm. After all, if Zaraki lost him arm, and by proxy his sword, the battle would be practically over.

The only warning Yamamoto had was a widening of Zaraki's grin before pain exploded through his side as Zaraki kicked him, driving his foot into Yamamoto's body just under the rib cage.

Yamamoto silently cursed as the momentum of the kick threw him towards Zaraki's returning swing. Ryujin Jakka met Kichigai Senshi squarely for the first time. Zaraki laughed, eyes wide and bright. "Don't let your guard down, you'll make it too easy for me!" Zaraki, even with one hand, was far stronger than Yamamoto, and the older Captain was sent skidding backwards for several feet.

Zaraki laughed even louder, racing forward to attack again, but Yamamoto recovered nearly instantly, his blade coming up to deflect Zaraki's strike again, sending it flying to the side.

This time, Zaraki wasn't quite quick enough to bring his sword back to block, and Ryujin Jakka sliced across his chest all the way up to his collarbone, the flames running along the surface of the blade scorching the area around the wound.

Zaraki grunted, the smile disappearing from his face. He reached out with his hand, grabbing Yamamoto's wrist, holding him in place as Zaraki brought his own Zanpakuto whistling around.

Yamamoto held out his hand. "Hado 88." The beam of blue destructive power tore out of Yamamoto's hand without him even needing to say the name of the spell.

The Eleventh Squad Captain was blasted backwards by the high-level Kido spell being let off in his face, tearing off pieces of flesh, eating away at the muscle beneath, the electricity within the spell racing through his body, forcing his muscles to spasm, weakening his grip on Yamamoto's hand, allowing him to be thrown backwards.

Yamamoto watched calmly as Zaraki was pushed backwards by the force of the spell,

"You have always mocked Kido, and any of the other Shinigami Arts besides Zanjutsu, Zaraki. And you have never attempted to learn Bankai. You may be strong, but your lack of respect for anything besides yourself has led to your death." Yamamoto swung Ryujin Jakka, sending the fire in a thin blade towards to downed Captain.

A crescent wave of yellow Reiatsu blew apart the fire, continuing on toward Yamamoto, who slashed through it with his sword.

"Shut your trap, you fossil." Zaraki was standing, his injured upper body devoid of any clothing, the spell having disintegrated them. Several electrical burns marred his torso and arms, and the skin had been peeled off in more than a few places. In a couple of places Yamamoto could even see bone.

In spite of all that, Zaraki stood tall, his injuries not seeming to affect him in the least. "I'm tired of your yapping about Kido or anything else. You've only been spouting the same shit for the last century. You know what I think of all that shit. If you're weak enough to have to rely on Kido, or Hoho, or your Bankai, then you aren't really worthy of being called a Captain." Zaraki's eyes burned yellow as his Reiatsu erupted out of him, some of it forming the shape of a skull in front of him even as the majority of it reached for the sky, a pillar of yellow energy that shook the earth around him. "I beat a Captain with nothing but my sealed Zanpakuto. None of the rest of you weaklings could hope to accomplish that, because you rely too much on fancy tricks and not enough on your own strength, you have so little confidence in yourself and your own strength that you prefer to cower and hide behind gimmicks rather than actually face your enemies." Zaraki threw back his head, laughing as his Reiatsu lashed out, the winds generated blowing centuries of accumulation of dust off of Soukyoku Hill, scouring the plateau down to the rock.

"Today is only the second time I've ever released my Zanpakuto, and it was to destroy something that all of you thought could never be destroyed. The Soukyoku, with the power of a million Zanpakuto, obliterated by a single Zanpakuto. Now do you see why I don't care about Bankai or any of that other crap? If I was like the rest of you, I'd never have any fun. And look at you! You're supposed to be the most powerful Captain in Soul Society, and you're refusing to actually lock blades with me, even resorting to hiding behind Kido because you're too scared of me and my Zanpakuto to even think about actually fighting!" Zaraki stopped laughing.

"Come on, old fart, if you've actually got the courage to do it. One attack to end it all. Both of us, our Zanpakuto sealed, nothing but our own skill deciding it. Unless you're going to keep hiding behind your Zanpakuto?" Zaraki's voice was scornful at the last part.

"I've never been beaten by an impudent brat." Yamamoto began as the flames around his sword died. "Come then, if you wish, and I will show you the difference between us, whelp."

Zaraki's grin returned full force. "That's the spirit old fart. That's what I'm talking about!" He roared, charging forward as fast as he could, Zanpakuto held beside him.

Yamamoto slid into a stance, his sword across his body, almost as if he were about to draw it from a scabbard at his waist.

Zaraki drew closer, his grin wide on his face. Yamamoto's eyes narrowed, his body tensing, grip tightening on his Zanpakuto. His own flame-like Reiatsu burst out of his body, coiling around him.

As soon as Zaraki was in range, Yamamoto moved with a swiftness and power that belied his age, his Reiatsu focused along his blade's edge as his took one step forward, meeting Zaraki's blade in mid-strike.

The two opposing forces met, their individual Reiatsu twisting around them, tearing apart the stone they stood on, scorching the rock until it melted. In the middle of the storm, one Zanpakuto shattered, allowing the other to continue onwards, nearly slicing one Captain in half as the two passed by each other.

The storm of Reiatsu died instantly, leaving the two Captains standing amidst the devastated execution grounds.

Zaraki glanced down at his Zanpakuto, less than a foot of actual blade remaining from where Ryujin Jakka has slashed through it. A slight smile appeared on his face as blood erupted from the wound just under his rib cage, the blade having sliced completely through that side of his body, the tip barely missing his spinal cord. The red liquid drenched his side as he looked over his shoulder at the Captain Commander, seeing Yamamoto return Ryujin Jakka to its cane form.

"I guess you aren't so weak after all." Zaraki laughed, even as he collapsed.


	11. Aizen's Escape

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Yamamoto looked over as Tosen's Bankai dispelled, the dark-skinned Captain calmly sheathing his blade.

The Captain Commander's eyes took in the whole scene, including the dead Ikkaku at Tosen's feet.

"Captain Yamamoto." Tosen began respectfully. "I will recover the condemned."

"No." Yamamoto said quietly. "Take Captain Zaraki to Captain Unohana for treatment, and have her place him in a holding cell when she is done. He will be the next one to face the judgment of the Central 46. When you have done that, assist Captain Aizen with Captain Ukitake, Captain Ichimaru with Captain Kyoraku, or Captain Kurotsuchi with Captain Hitsugaya. Rukia Kuchiki is not as important as the traitors are at this point."

"Yes, Captain Commander." Tosen bowed, then straightened, stepping over to the downed Captain of Eleventh Squad, hefting the bloody mess of a man over his shoulder. Nodding to Yamamoto, he used Shunpo to leave Soukyoku Hill.

Tosen stopped about halfway to Squad Four. _'This man is dangerous. If I kill him now, it will leave Soul Society short by yet another Captain, which will certainly make things easier for Captain Aizen in the long run.'_

His mind made up, Tosen began to shift Zaraki off of his back, when a voice called to him.

"Ah, Kaname."

Tosen instantly knew who it was and cursed at the fact that the other Captain was there. "Hello, Sajin."

"Are you taking Captain Zaraki to be held?"

"Yes. By order of Captain Commander Yamamoto, he is to be treated and then placed in a holding cell to await judgment by the Central 46."

"I'm taking the Ryoka that I fought to Squad Four as well, for the same reasons."

"Sajin, can I ask you for a favor?" The blind Captain asked.

"Of course, Kaname."

"Captain Yamamoto told me to assist Captain Aizen, Captain Ichimaru or Captain Kurotsuchi against the traitors after I have taken Captain Zaraki to Captain Unohana. Would you be willing to take Captain Zaraki to Squad Four and then go assist one of them? I do not wish to see the condemned escape punishment for her crimes."

"Certainly, Kaname. I understand that you will never allow someone guilty to escape justice. Go find her, I will take Captain Zaraki to Squad Four." Komamura reached out with one massive hand and easily hefted Zaraki over the shoulder that wasn't occupied by Chad.

"Thank you, Sajin. Goodbye." He meant it in more ways than one.

Ukitake's swords began to glow, the cord between them glowing as well as a white aura appeared around him. The blades seemed to be lengthening, the cord seemingly having a mind of its own as it twisted and writhed, growing longer and thicker.

Ukitake's voice was barely a whisper. "Sogyou no Kotowari Mattaku (Absolute Rejection of Twin Fishes).

Aizen looked on curiously. This was the first time he had ever seen Ukitake's Bankai. Not surprising, considering that he'd never even seen Ukitake's Shikai before the fight.

"Impressive." Aizen commented as the Bankai was fully revealed.

While it was larger than Shikai, it wasn't overly large the way most Bankai were. Ukitake still held two swords in his hand, both of which were larger than the ones he had held in Shikai. However, there was no sense of clumsiness about these blades. Instead, they gave off an aura of elegance. The extensions of the blade that turned back were more rounded, and the main blade itself had a slight curve that caught the sun, light shimmering across the gleaming silver. The cord was thicker and longer, wrapping around Ukitake's feet several times.

"Not as large or visually imposing as most Bankai, but then, my Shikai isn't much to look at either. Therefore, it would be foolish to underestimate your Bankai based on its looks. I don't believe that you are known as one of the strongest Captains for nothing." Aizen smiled.

Ukitake gripped the swords tighter. There was something about the way Aizen had spoken that sent a chill down his spine.

"How did you get behind me?" Ukitake asked.

"My Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, has an ability called "Absolute Hypnosis". If you see my Zanpakuto at the moment of its release even once, I can control all five of your senses for an indefinite period of time."

"An indefinite period of time." Ukitake repeated. His eyes widened as he spun around, blocking Aizen's strike. Instantly lashing out with his other sword, Ukitake retaliated, the force of the blow knocking Aizen back several paces. Ukitake rushed forward, trying to end the fight before Aizen recovered. He sliced horizontally, but Aizen jumped back before the blade could connect.

"Interesting." Aizen commented.

"What do you mean." Ukitake asked, eyes narrowing.

"Your Shikai allowed you to absorb energy through one sword and release it through the other, speeding it up as it went through. Your Bankai is an improvement on that, not only redirecting and speeding the attack up, but also amplifying it as well. Quite a powerful Bankai, able to render most attacks against you useless."

After the previous two times, Ukitake was no longer surprised that Aizen figured it out after only seeing it once.

"However, I do wonder."

"Wonder what?" Ukitake asked warily.

Aizen smirked, and Ukitake's eyes widened as he spun around, his left sword coming up to block Aizen's strike, his right hand already moving for a counterattack. As soon as the swords touched, Aizen disappeared.

"Can your sword absorb and redirect an attack that comes from all directions?" Aizen's voice came from behind the white-haired Captain, the direction he'd been facing originally. A foot kicked him, throwing him towards one of the open pits. Ukitake braced himself as he landed, stopping his momentum less than a foot away from the edge. "Goodbye, Captain Ukitake." Aizen's voice sounded. "Hado 90. Kurohitsuji (Black Coffin)." Even as he began to turn around, the black walls of the spell enclosed him.

Pain exploded through Ukitake's body as countless Reiatsu spears pierced through him. He had tried to buffer the impact with his own Reiatsu, and he had partially succeeded, but enough of the spell had gotten through to bring him to his knees.

When the black box dissipated, Ukitake collapsed to his knees, his body refusing to respond to his commands. "I truly do regret doing this, Captain Ukitake." Aizen's voice rang out. "Goodbye."

With that, Aizen nudged Ukitake with his foot, the older Captain tumbling into the pit lined with Seki-seki rock, his wounds combined with the Reiatsu-nullifying effect of the walls leaving him with nothing to do except wait for impact at the bottom of the pit.

Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad Thirteen, died upon hitting the ground, his skull crushed from the impact.

"Captain Komamura." Greeted Retsu Unohana. She had just finished working on Yachiru, ensuring that the little Lieutenant would survive, and had been about to start on Kira Izuru and Momo Hinamori, both of whom had gotten the worse of their respective fights with Rangiku Matsumoto and Ise Nanao.

Ironically enough, both of them had shown up at Squad Four within minutes of each other with their injured opponents, handed them over, and then disappeared. Unohana hadn't been able to give chase, she was busy trying to save Iba Tetsuzaimon, while her Third Seat had been stabilizing Yachiru.

"Captain Unohana." Komamura nodded. "Captain Commander Yamamoto has requested that you heal Captain Zaraki, then place him in a holding cell. Reiatsu-sealing restraints would probably be advised. I would also like to request the same for this young man." The giant Captain placed both of them gently on the floor.

"Certainly, Captain Komamura."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana."

Both of them looked to the south as Byakuya's Reiatsu flared, his opponent doing the same. The burst of power only lasted for a few seconds, then both of their Reiatsu dropped to the point where the two Captains could barely feel it.

"I will go check on Captain Kuchiki, and if necessary, I will bring him here." Captain Komamura said.

"Thank you, Captain Komamura." Unohana nodded gratefully as she began to work on Kenpachi, her Third Seat working on Chad.

Uryu was having problems. He was in Soul Society, where everything was made of Reishi, therefore, he had a theoretically limitless power source. He'd thought he could use that to outlast Byakuya.

However, the extreme level of power that Uryu was using was taking its toll on him. His fingers were bleeding from the number and power of the arrows he was firing, and his control was slipping as his exhaustion from controlling so much power for such a long period of time caught up with him.

The only bright spot was that Byakuya didn't seem to be in much better shape. His Bankai was moving much slower than it had been earlier, and Byakuya himself wasn't moving around very much, clearly conserving his energy to try to make his Bankai last longer.

"It is clear that neither one of us has the strength to keep fighting much longer." Byakuya said, breathing heavily. "So let us end this battle in one blow."

All of the shards of Byakuya's Bankai began to draw inward, compressing into an ever-smaller form. The pink light that the shards had reflected changed as they drew together, becoming white. The light increased, nearly blinding Uryu with its brilliance. Squinting, Uryu could barely make out Byakuya's form.

Two large, glowing wings extended from his shoulder-blades, and a half-halo went from the base of one wing to the base of the other. A single sword, glowing white with power, was held in front of him. "Shukei (Final Scene). This concentrates all the power of Senbonzakura into a single sword, dramatically increasing its cutting power."

Blood dripped from Uryu's fingers, but he didn't pay it any mind as he held his hand up, drawing power all the power he could from the surrounding area. The wing on his back completely disappeared as he drew every bit of power he could. The arrow he created hummed with power, a bright blue glow surrounding the solid silver arrow.

Uryu drew back the string as Byakuya charged, lining up his shot. _'Not yet.'_ Byakuya drew closer. _'Not yet.' _Byakuya came even closer. _'Now.'_

Uryu fired the shot, a trench appearing as the aura from the arrow scorched the ground.

Byakuya pulled his sword back, lining the tip up with the incoming arrow. The two points met, both pushing against each other.

Byakuya dug deep, reaching for one last burst of power inside him. Finding it, he pushed forward, shattering the arrow and using the last of his strength to charge forward.

Uryu's eyes went wide as he saw Byakuya race out of the explosion caused by the destroyed arrow, and he instinctively formed the Hirenkyaku, ducking slightly even as Byakuya was thrusting.

It saved his life. Instead of stabbing through his heart, Byakuya drove his sword through Uryu's left shoulder, rendering the arm unusable. The blade left Uryu's shoulder as he continued to move backwards in the Hirenkyaku.

Both of them stopped, Uryu's left arm hanging limply at his side. Byakuya was on his last legs, completely worn out. He stood there panting, unable to do anything but watch Uryu, his body having nothing left to give.

Bundles of Reishi began attaching themselves to Uryu's arm. Some of them slipped or dissipated, Uryu's ability to control the Reishi around him having been pushed to the limit and beyond. After three tries, he finally got the Ransotengai to work. With jerky, awkward motions he lifted his left arm up. He tried to form the arrow, but as he did so, the Ransotengai dissolved, Uryu unable to do both at the same time.

"Why are you so desperate to kill me?" Byakuya asked through his pants. "You are a Quincy, he was a Shinigami. Why are you so determined to avenge him? You should hate him just as much as you hate us."

"He didn't judge me." Uryu said softly. "He didn't care that I was 'destroying the balance' as you Shinigami put it. The only thing he cared about was protecting his home from Hollows. He didn't kill anyone who dared to disagree with him. Unlike you. That's why. That's why I'm going to kill you." Uryu let the bow dissolve, forming an arrow in his right hand. Not the solid ones that he had used earlier, but a normal blue one, just like he'd used back before he met Ichigo. He took a step forward. Then another. Then another. Byakuya was only a few paces away. Uryu's eyes were dim as he struggled forward.

Finally, the struggle became too much for the Quincy. The arrow lost its cohesion as Uryu fell forward, losing the fight to stay conscious.

Byakuya only lasted a second longer, collapsing next to the inert Quincy, both of them completely spent from the hardest battle of their lives.

Less than a minute later, Komamura appeared, his sharp eyes quickly assessing the situation.

Checking them both for injuries, he concluded that both of them were unconscious due to exhaustion more than anything else.

Hefting both of them over his shoulders, much like he had with Zaraki and Chad, he used Shunpo to take them both to Squad Four. Neither of them would require Captain Unohana's skills, so he dropped them off with a few of the lower seated officers.

With that accomplished, he extended his senses, trying to decide who he should assist.

'_Captain Aizen appears to have defeated Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku and Ichimaru are still going at it, and neither one is in Bankai, Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Kurotsuchi are also still fighting, Captain Hitsugaya seems to be in Bankai, while Captain Kurotsuchi is not.'_

Finally he came to a decision. Kyoraku was a senior Captain, Ichimaru would likely require help. He didn't particularly like either Ichimaru or Kurotsuchi, but Ichimaru was the lesser of the two evils.

His mind made up, Komamura headed for where he sensed Kyoraku and Ichimaru fighting.

Toshiro Hitsugaya spun around, forcing Kurotsuchi on the defensive. Despite being younger, Hitsugaya was the better swordsman, the proof being the half a dozen wounds that marred Kurotsuchi's body, while Hitsugaya was unscathed. The young prodigy also had the advantage of having already taken out Kurotsuchi's Bankai, the final form of the Twelfth Squad Captain's Zanpakuto not really being suited for a one-on-one duel.

"Guncho Tsurara (Icicle Flock)." Hitsugaya swung his Zanpakuto horizontally, several ice daggers flying off of it. Kurotsuchi weaved his way through the barrage, blocking the last two daggers, but wasn't able to block Hitsugaya's follow-up strike, Hyorinmaru cutting a diagonal path across his chest.

"Yes, yes, YES!" Kurotsuchi cackled. "I can't wait to study you and your Zanpakuto! Elemental Zanpakuto are so rare that I've never actually gotten the chance to study them! You will be my first research subject. I can hardly wait!"

Hitsugaya growled as he backed up, nearly shuddering in revulsion of the insane Captain. "I've had enough of you." Hitsugaya ground out, swinging his sword in an overhead arc, releasing an enormous serpentine ice dragon, much like his Shikai, except that this one was far larger, and had wings.

The dragon slammed into the ground where Kurotsuchi had been standing, turning the entire surrounding area to ice. However, Hitsugaya's sharp eyes had seen Kurotsuchi disappear in Shunpo an instant before the dragon hit.

He looked around warily, unable to sense Kurotsuchi's presence. His wings curled slightly, ready to protect him from any attack.

Rukia watched in horror as Captain Aizen-the kindest, most soft-spoken Captain in Soul Society-cut down Yumichika with barely any effort, leaving the Eleventh Squad Fifth Seat lying in a puddle of his own blood.

Aizen had appeared in front of the two, kindly asking Yumichika to give him Rukia and leave. When Yumichika had refused, Aizen had nearly sliced him in half, the smile never leaving his lips.

"I'm terribly sorry you had to witness that." Aizen said, just as another Captain appeared.

"Captain Aizen." Kaname Tosen greeted.

"You're just in time, Kaname." Aizen replied. Turning his attention back to Rukia, he continued speaking. "As far as I'm aware, you should survive this, so don't try to struggle and it'll be over soon."

Aizen cracked a small green tube, green spines protruding up from the ground, and Aizen's hand becoming covered with green scales. Without another word, he plunged his hand into Rukia's chest.

"How is it possible?" Retsu Unohana asked softly. "That we could have missed this?" The bodies of the Central 46 were still in their chairs, the blood on the tables turned black from age.

"Aizen's Zanpakuto has an ability called "Absolute Hypnosis." Yoruichi said sadly. "If you see it released even once, Aizen can manipulate all five of your senses, making you see, hear, taste, touch or smell anything he wants you to."

As soon as Chad and Zaraki were out of immediate danger, Yoruichi had insisted that Unohana come with her to meet the Central 46. When they got there, they had found the scene of a massacre.

"I don't necessarily agree with you that Captain Aizen is the one behind this, but this is most definitely a grave turn of events."

Shunsui Kyoraku looked up as Unohana's voice was broadcasted across the Seireitei. "Attention. The Central 46 has been murdered by unknown assailants. They have been dead for at least a month, possibly longer."

"Well, well, well, I wasn't expecting for the news to get out quite so quick. I guess that means that me, Tosen and Captain Aizen need to get out of here."

"_You_ murdered them?" Kyoraku asked, enraged. He couldn't see Ichimaru, but at the moment he wanted nothing more than to kill the damned snake.

"Well, not me exactly, Captain Aizen was the one who actually did it."

"You were in on it." It wasn't a question.

"Details and technicalities. You really are obsessed with them, aren't you?"

Kyoraku lashed out with a blade of wind, but Ichimaru was too slippery, and the attack didn't connect.

"Well, as fun as this has been, we're probably going to be leaving soon, so I'll have to cut this battle short. Goodbye, Captain Kyoraku."

"That was unexpected." Aizen said calmly as he pulled his hand out of Rukia's chest, the girl dropping like a puppet with her strings cut.

"Come, Kaname. We'll meet Gin up on Soukyoku Hill, then we'll leave. We have what we needed."

Both of them disappeared in Shunpo, reappearing at the top of Soukyoku Hill.

"Captain Aizen and Captain Tosen." Came Yamamoto's voice. "What are you doing here?"

Aizen smiled softly. "We're leaving, Captain Yamamoto."

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" He questioned. "Then am I to assume that you are the ones responsible for the deaths of the Central 46 that Captain Unohana talked about?"

"Got in one, Captain." Ichimaru chirped cheerfully as he appeared next to Aizen and Tosen.

Just then, Shunsui Kyoraku appeared, having been chasing Ichimaru. "So, you were telling the truth, huh, Ichimaru? I didn't want to believe it about you, Aizen, or you, Tosen, but you really have betrayed Soul Society."

Aizen raised one eyebrow. "Betrayal? You're a fine one to talk about that. What do you call destroying the Soukyoku and rescuing a condemned criminal?"

"We were trying to uncover the conspiracy within the Seireitei, the conspiracy that _you_ orchestrated." Kyoraku growled, one eye on Yamamoto in case the older Captain decided to turn on him. Fortunately for him, Yamamoto seemed far more interested in the genuine traitors.

Aizen looked up. "It is time."

A beam of light shot down from the sky, trapping Aizen within its glowing walls.

"Negacion." Yamamoto whispered. Another beam came down, protecting Ichimaru.

'_I can still remember the last time I saw her. Her body on the ground, bleeding from Tosen's attack, a Hollow Mask covering her face.'_

Kyoraku heard Ichimaru's words, repeating in his mind. "Tosen, you bastard!" He roared, lashing out with his Zanpakuto, a blast of wind racing for the traitorous Captain.

Tosen dodged easily, but doing so forced the Gillians creating the Negacion to pause for a second to realign with him, and in that moment Yamamoto struck.

"Jokaku Enjo (Fortress Blaze)." Yamamoto swept his sword out, fire spewing forth to create a barrier around the dark-skinned traitor.

"My, my, the old man reacts quicker than I thought." Ichimaru remarked casually.

"Let's go, Gin." Aizen said, no emotion in his voice.

"Are you sure? Tosen's right there, you know."

"We're not leaving him, Gin. Even if they can't locate Kaname within the flames, there are enough Gillians to create a Negacion large enough to take the entire barrier." Even as he spoke, a beam of light far larger than the ones containing Aizen and Ichimaru came down, covering the whole of the flaming prison.

Yamamoto sheathed his sword as he looked up, seeing the sky ripped apart by numerous Gillians, with a large, purple slit behind them, Yamamoto unable to see clearly what it was.

"Why, Aizen?" Kyoraku shouted up.

"Because these worlds are in chaos. The current state of affairs is deplorable. If God will not do something, then I will become God, and do it myself."

Aizen's words lingered long after he and Gin were gone and the sky had sealed up.

Yamamoto sighed heavily, holding out his arms, pulling back his sleeves and quickly painting marks on his arms. "Bakudo 77. Tenteikura (Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air)."

"This is Squad One Captain, Shigekuni Yamamoto Genryusai. Captains Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen have betrayed Soul Society. All Captains, cease fighting and assemble on Soukyoku Hill at once. Anyone who disobeys this order will be treated as a traitor."

"What are we going to do, old man?" Kyoraku asked.

"We will decide when the other Captains arrive." Yamamoto said. He looked up again, knowing that they had not seen the last of Sosuke Aizen.

Ichigo Kurosaki looked around, growling softly in frustration. "Damnit, where the hell could that little Shinigami have gone? Don't tell me he got himself killed off before I got back here."

"Damn, you're still looking?" Grimmjow called out from above.

Ichigo looked up at the branch that Grimmjow was standing on. "Shut up. We didn't specify a time or place for our next meeting."

"Aww, been stood up, have we?" Grimmjow grinned under his mask.

"Go to hell, Grimmjow."

"No thanks, Hueco Mundo's bad enough. I haven't-"

Both Vasto Lorde disappeared as a pillar of blue-white fire tore through where they had been just an instant before.

"A sneak attack." Ichigo commented as he and Grimmjow reappeared well away from the torrent of flames. "I didn't expect that. Then again, he barely got me as a regular Hollow, with me as a Vasto Lorde, he'll need all the advantages he can get."

Ichigo looked over to where the attack had come from. "Isn't that right?" He called out.

His answer was another beam of flame. Ichigo smirked, a Cero charging between his horns. His hands crossed in front of him, another cero charging on the tips of his fingers. All three off his tails reared up, his one positioning itself over his head, the other two held just sideways of his shoulders. "Eat this!" Ichigo screamed as he let all six Ceros fly, a mixture of red and white energy that overwhelmed the Shinigami's attack, dispersing the flame as though it had never existed in the first place.

Ashido's eyes went wide as he used Shunpo, escaping Ichigo's counterattack.

"You know, you put up a much better fight last time." Came a voice from behind him. Just as his head started to turn, the red tip of a tail slammed through his back, six inches of blood-covered bone protruding from his stomach.

Ashido threw his head back, screaming in pain.

Ichigo pulled the tail out of Ashido's midsection, his arms crossed over his chest. Ashido stumbled forward, trying to keep his feet under him, but fell to his knees, bending his back, pulling the wound open farther. His Zanpakuto fell out of his fingers as both of his hands went to the sand, trying to support himself.

Ichigo placed his hand on Ashido's shoulder, smirking as Ashido flinched from the contact. "You know, you didn't improve anywhere near as much as I expected you to. Perhaps my belief in your potential to grow was…misplaced." Ichigo leaned his mask closer to Ashido's ear. "You're pathetic. I'd feel ashamed to kill you right now, that's how far beneath me you are." Ichigo straightened up, kicking Ashido lightly, sending him sprawling flat to the sand. "Come on, Grimmjow. I can't believe I wasted this much fucking time coming here."

"Aren't you gonna kill him?" Grimmjow asked, amusement in his voice.

"No." Ichigo snorted. "Like I said, I'd feel ashamed to kill him right now, he's so damned weak. I'll just leave him here. Maybe another Hollow will come along and kill him. Maybe he'll survive and actually get stronger. Who knows. But like hell I'm dirtying my claws with that weakling."

"You don't want to eat him?"

"Are you kidding?" Ichigo looked over at the fur-covered Vasto Lorde. "Something this weak wouldn't even taste good. You're more than welcome to him, though."

"No, you've got the right idea. A regular Hollow would probably be more satisfying than that piece of shit."

A blast of Reiatsu interrupted them, and the two Vasto Lorde turned their heads as one to look.

A short distance away, a large cluster of Gillians had torn open a portal. "Negacion." Grimmjow muttered. "Some damn idiot must have gotten himself in trouble on the other side."

"You think so, huh? That's funny, I can't sense any Hollow Reiatsu on the other side. Just Shinigami. Powerful ones, too."

"Alright, smartass, if there's no Hollows on the other side, what do you think they're using Negacion for?" Grimmjow asked.

"Not a clue, but check that out!"

A massive Hollow, far larger than any Gillian could ever hope to be, shuffled up behind the Gillians. It had massive hands, each fingernail was a Gillians face-mask. It had no really definable head, but there was a mound on top of its body that held a single eye, half-closed, glowing purple.

The two Vasto Lorde looked at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ichigo asked Grimmjow.

"If you're thinking that that thing might provide a decent fight and a good meal, then we're on the same page."

"Let's go." Both of them took off, circling around the Gillians to get to the big one. "I'm a gracious Hollow, so I'll let you have the first hit." Ichigo offered.

"You're too kind." Grimmjow said, sarcasm dripping like blood. Grimmjow raced ahead, gathering Reiatsu to his claws as he smashed the giant Hollow with an uppercut, the enormous bulk launched upward as the gelatinous body broke apart from the force of Grimmjow's blow.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks. "Well, that was a letdown."

"No kidding." Grimmjow said.

Neither one of them noticed Ashido had gotten up, and stumbled his way to the open portal, falling into it just as Aizen and Ichimaru arrived and it closed.

"Wow, they really did a number on Fura, didn't they, Captain Aizen?"

"Indeed."

Ichigo and Grimmjow both whirled around, facing two Shinigami and the barrier of flames next to them, the light from the fire flickering and casting eerie shadows over the entire area. "They're Captains, Ichigo. The one that almost killed me had one of those white overcoats on too."

"Is that so?" Ichigo asked, grinning under the mask. He curled his fingers, claws ready to shred the Shinigami into bloody chunks.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself." The Shinigami smiled as he took off his glasses, sweeping his hand through his hair. "My name is Sosuke Aizen, the former Captain of Squad Five in Soul Society. I have left Soul Society in order to unite the Hollows for a war against Soul Society, leading to the eventual freedom of all Hollows."

Grimmjow laughed. "Are you fucking serious? You honestly believe that we're going to listen to a Shinigami?"

"Of course not." Aizen said as he drew his sword. "Hollows respect beings with strength, and I have not yet proven my strength to you. So, why don't we make a wager? We will fight, the two of you against me. If I win, you agree to serve under me. If you win, you get to eat a Captain level Shinigami, which I'm sure is not something you get every day."

"You really think you can beat us? And even if you somehow could, you think you can do it without killing us?" Ichigo laughed.

"Of course. After all, if you're dead, you won't be of any use to me. Also, I doubt you would wish to die before gaining even more power by undergoing Shinigamification."

"Shinigamification." Ichigo questioned.

"Becoming an Arrancar." Grimmjow said. "Remember, I told you about that back when we were still Adjuchas."

"Indeed." Aizen said. "However, I am not referring to the crude methods which have been used up to this point. I have in my possession a device that allows one to instantly become an Arrancar, while simultaneously unlocking far more of your potential than the old method, granting you much greater strength."

"So, basically, if we win, we get to eat you, but we don't get stronger by however you're creating Arrancar. If we lose, we have to serve you, but at the same time we get even stronger." Ichigo mused. "We win and we lose both ways."

"Screw that, Ichigo, we've got a fight on our hands." Grimmjow said, his tail lashing back and forth excitedly.

"We certainly do." Aizen said. "Kudakero, Kyoka Suigetsu (Shatter, Mirror Flower Water Moon)."

Grimmjow launched himself at the Captain, only for his claws to tear through nothing as the image faded. "What the fuck." He asked, an instant before he felt a sword hit his back. Grimmjow reacted instantly, managing to move before the sword penetrated very deep.

Ichigo was on the offensive instantly, one of his tails punching straight through the back of Aizen's head. Unfortunately, that Aizen also disappeared as soon as Ichigo hit him.

"Where is that damned bastard." Ichigo growled. He looked and saw Aizen, his blade locked with Grimmjow's claws. _'Perfect.'_ Ichigo charged up a Cero between his horns, letting it fly as soon as it was completed.

As soon as he let it fly, however, the scene in front of him changed. Grimmjow was now where Aizen had been, and Aizen was where Grimmjow had been.

"Fuck!" Ichigo cursed as the Cero thundered into Grimmjow. He cut the power as quickly as he could, but Grimmjow was still hammered by the beam.

"Thank you very much." Aizen nodded to Ichigo. "Now, to end this."

Ichigo started to back away, eyes narrowed behind his mask. _'Something's not right here. He's able to control what I'm seeing.'_

"How are you making me see things?" Ichigo snarled out the question.

Aizen smirked. "That is for me to know, and for you" The tip of a sword slid through one of the eye-holes on Ichigo's mask "to never find out."

The gleaming point of Aizen's sword filled half of Ichigo's vision.

"Do you yield? Will you serve me?"

"Yes." The anger was tempered somewhat by the knowledge that he would be gaining more power by becoming an Arrancar, but the humiliation of having been defeated so easily wasn't.

'_Just you wait. One day, I'll have your head.'_


	12. The Calm Before The Storm

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

_2 Months After Aizen Left Soul Society_

"You're doing well." Komamura commented as Chad struggled to his feet.

Following the devastation that Sosuke Aizen had left in his wake upon leaving, killing the entirety of the Central 46, leaving four Squads basically leaderless and tricking the Seireitei into a nearly full-scale civil war, there had been a rush to restore order.

The four Captains that had attempted to stop the execution had been let off with no punishment, although Yamamoto had sternly ordered them to come to him the next time that they felt an injustice was being perpetrated and not simply take matters into their own hands.

Kisuke Urahara had been invited back to Soul Society upon the revelation by Shunsui Kyoraku that Ichimaru had said Aizen had been behind the incident one hundred years ago, but he had declined, stating that he enjoyed the freedom that working in the world of the living allowed him.

Unfortunately, that had left four Squads without Captains, and the one in most trouble was Squad 13, now lacking both a Captain and a Lieutenant. Yamamoto's own Lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe, was temporarily in charge of Squad 13.

Momo Hinamori had been devastated by Aizen's betrayal, sinking into a depression that seemed to swallow her whole. After two weeks had gone by, she had been temporarily removed as the Lieutenant as she simply wasn't performing her duties. Ise Nanao now ran Squad 5.

Shuhei Hisagi had been exactly the opposite. Instead of going into a depression the way Momo had, the Lieutenant of Squad 9 had been furious at Tosen for betraying him. His anger had only increased when he had learned that Tosen had been partially responsible for the Hollowfication and exile of Kensei Muguruma, the Captain who had inspired him to become a Shinigami in the first place, as well as the man from who he'd copied the "69" tattoo that adorned his cheek.

Komamura was rather frightened, not of Hisagi, but for him. The young Lieutenant had torn through the Ninth Squad Captain's office and personal quarters like a hurricane, taking out everything that had belonged to Captain Tosen and burning it. He'd also been practicing with his Zanpakuto's released form for hours on end, something that he had never done before. It seemed to the fox-headed Captain that Hisagi was desperately trying to get rid of any reminder of his former Captain, and had taken everything that Tosen had told him and was now doing the exact opposite. Now, Komamura had been hurt by Tosen betraying them, too, but Shuhei was on the verge of obsession in purging himself of any traces of influence the dark-skinned Captain had left on him, perhaps fearing that he would be suspected of being a traitor as well should he hold to Tosen's ideology, or perhaps simply hating the fact that he'd allowed a traitor to shape him as much as he had.

Kira Izuru had seemed to be the least effected by his Captain's betrayal, but that was only because Kira had always seemed miserable, and most people couldn't tell the difference now. Rangiku had comforted him as much as she had been able to, since she had known Gin best.

Even the Captains had been affected, in many ways even more than the Lieutenants had been. Toshiro Hitsugaya had been working feverishly on his own Bankai, trying to complete it through sheer force of will despite the fact his body was still immature. Aizen had hurt his childhood friend Momo Hinamori deeply, and the young ice-wielder had sworn revenge on the traitorous Captain.

Shunsui Kyoraku had lost his best friend in Jushiro Ukitake, and the rage inside of him was startling to see. It was a rare sight to see the Eighth Squad Captain lazing about anymore, he was usually with Yamamoto all day, making plans and discussing what Aizen could possibly be after.

Byakuya had lost his Lieutenant, and had flatly refused to even look at any candidates for the position. Renji had left a mark on him, despite only being there for a very short time. Komamura had a hunch that Byakuya was profoundly grateful to the red-head for helping to save Rukia.

There was also the matter of the Shinigami that had fallen out of the sky immediately before the Garganta had closed. None of the Captains had recognized him, and it had been a week before he had awoken to answer any questions. He had introduced himself as Ashido Kano, a Shinigami that had disappeared along with his entire patrol over three hundred years ago.

Naturally, there had been suspicions. Having been away for so long, then returning just as Aizen left was not a good way to win trust with the decimated and paranoid Gotei 13.

Soi Fon had interrogated the man herself, and after a couple of weeks she had come to the conclusion that there was nothing more to his story than he had told them, he and his patrol had followed a group of retreating Hollows to Hueco Mundo, and upon arriving there had been trapped. The other Shinigami had been picked off one by one, and he had managed to survive by a combination of skill, cunning and outright luck, growing stronger as the centuries had progressed.

Once he had been fully healed, he had been placed in Squad 2, allowing him to be kept under surveillance, even after Soi Fon had concluded he was telling the truth, he was still being watched.

The Ryoka that had invaded Soul Society had been granted pardons for their actions, and the Quincy had immediately left for the Living World, not wishing to stay in Soul Society any longer than was strictly necessary. However, the other boy, Chad, had stayed, wanting to know what kind of people Shinigami were, as well as requesting that Komamura assist him in his hand to hand skill, having been deeply impressed with the Captain for beating him, even after he transformed mid-fight.

That had been a problematic request, not only was Komamura swamped with duties and assignments in the wake of Aizen's treachery, he was also more than a little wary of the boy, whose powers seemed to be similar to those of a Hollow.

Chad had understood his reluctance and had stayed with the Eleventh Squad, sparring with Captain Zaraki as much as he could, usually resulting in the young man spending the night in the Fourth Squad. When Captain Zaraki was busy, he usually spent his time training with Shuhei Hisagi, who was training as much as he possibly could when he wasn't running his Squad.

Finally, Komamura's curiosity had become too much for him.

'_Why do you push yourself so hard?' He had asked the youth, bandaged from his latest attempt at battling Captain Zaraki._

_The boy was silent for a minute. "Because I want to protect Karakura Town. Just like Ichigo did."_

"_You can fight a Captain on close to even grounds. Why do you want even more power? Especially when your power feels so much like a Hollow's."_

"_I can't explain it. There's something inside of me that's telling me to get stronger, to never stop trying. I guess that a large part of it. But there's something else as well. You are right, my powers are much like a Hollow's, and because of that, I fear that eventually I may in fact lose myself to my own power."_

"_Then why?" Komamura asked, perplexed. "Why do you continue to attempt to grow stronger."_

"_Because." Chad said slowly, as if working it out himself. "Because I must. If I am afraid of my own power, then how will I be able to use it effectively against those that would destroy what I want to protect? If using my powers could in fact turn me into a Hollow, then isn't it better to push myself as far as I can now, where there are people that can stop me, as opposed to simply hoping that I won't change, hoping that I don't become a Hollow in the world of the living where if I do change, the consequences would be enormous?" He asked._

"_If you feel it is that dangerous, we can seal off your Reiatsu, you won't need to fear your own power if it is sealed off."_

"_And what if I do that and a Hollow, or even worse, the traitorous Captains, kill someone, destroy something that I could have protected if I had my powers?" Chad shook his head. "I could never forgive myself if I had the power to protect and didn't use it because I was afraid." The next words left his mouth in a whisper. "That isn't what Ichigo would have done. He left the protection of his sisters to me, and I won't betray that responsibility."_

_Komamura sighed. "You truly would have been an incredible Shinigami, Chad. Your devotion is unsurpassed, even by many Captains." He straightened. "Very well. I will train you in Hakuda, the Shinigami art of hand to hand combat, as often as I can, which will not be very often, perhaps as little as a couple of hours a week."_

"_I would be grateful for whatever assistance you could provide." Chad had replied._

That conversation had been the most Chad had spoken at once to the fox-headed Captain. True to his word, Komamura had trained him, however, just like he had predicted, the maximum time he had been able to spare had only been five hours in one week.

Fortunately for Chad, he and Komamura were matched in body type, large, strong, and durable, but lacking in speed. Komamura had mostly taught him defenses and grappling techniques, allowing Chad to take full advantage of his incredible strength and stamina. The fox-headed Captain had driven Chad as hard as he could, and that combined with his tri-weekly brush with death against Kenpachi had yielded positive results. Despite the lack of a transformation, Chad was stronger, faster, and better prepared to fight any enemy he might face.

"Thank you." Chad said shortly. "I must leave tomorrow morning, Captain Komamura. There are obligations in the Living World that require my presence, beginning tomorrow."

"I see." The Captain said. "Well, regardless, it's been a pleasure having you. I hope that we will meet again, under more pleasant circumstances than our first meeting."

"I hope for the same." Chad shook Komamura's huge gloved hand.

Chad headed for the Squad 11 barracks, where he had been staying the two months prior to him leaving. He had fought with Captain Zaraki every chance he got, eyepatch off. Once he had explained the reasons, Kenpachi had agreed to fight him with the patch off, allowing Chad to absorb vast quantities of Reiatsu in the hopes that he would transform again and Kenpachi would be given a good fight. So far, however, they had been disappointed, with Chad not having transformed since the execution. Granted, Chad was stronger than he had been, but Kenpachi still nearly murdered him every time they fought, bringing Chad to the Fourth Squad barely alive most of the time.

He'd been training with Yoruichi, too, and a Shinigami Lieutenant named Shuhei Hisagi. Yoruichi had worked on his speed, while Hisagi had just been looking for a sparring partner that could take a beating. The scar-faced Shinigami had been Tosen's Lieutenant, and he had been outraged at Tosen's betrayal. He had sworn, on the 69 tattoo that adorned his face, he would have revenge on Tosen for his treachery.

Chad didn't even need to check where he was going. After two months in Soul Society, the formerly confusing roads made sense to him. He had been this way many times before, on his way to the Eleventh Squad barracks. As he walked, his mind wandered.

The Eleventh Squad. It was rather ironic that he, someone who disliked fighting about as much as it was possible to dislike something, had gotten stuck in the barracks of the most bloodthirsty squad in the Seireitei.

Well, that wasn't exactly all there was to it. They didn't fight or think of fighting 24/7. He had met some very interesting characters in the Eleventh Squad, when they were off duty, especially among the unseated officers.

A small weight dropped onto his back, quickly scrambling up to his shoulder. He knew what, or rather, who it was even before he caught the flash of pink out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, there, muscles!" Yachiru Kusajishi chirped cheerfully. Chad just sighed.

Yachiru had recovered from being impaled by Chojiro Sasakibe on top of Soukyoku Hill, and had taken to hanging onto Chad's shoulder whenever Kenpachi was unavailable, usually because of a Captain's meeting.

"I take it that Kenpachi isn't here right now?" He asked the Squad Eleven Lieutenant.

"Yep. Gramps said that they'd figured out what Aizen was up to, and they're having a meeting to figure out who's going to the living world with you, cause that's what Aizen's after."

"How do you know that?" Chad turned his head to look fully at the little girl hanging from his shoulder.

"Oh, I was on Kenny's shoulder when the Hell Butterfly arrived. Gramps knows that if the meeting isn't interesting, Kenny won't show up, so he always tells Kenny what the meeting's about when he sends the Hell Butterfly."

"Interesting." Learned something new every day.

"Kenny wants to go there, so he'll get the first fight against Aizen when he comes."

Chad didn't reply to that, although inwardly he quailed. _Kenpachi? _In Karakura Town? The town wouldn't last a day with Kenpachi there, especially if he got into a fight.

"Don't worry, muscles, Kenny will be back soon, and then you'll have one last fight before you go back to the human world. And just think, if me and Kenny get chosen to go with you to back you up, then you and Kenny will be able to fight every day."

Chad couldn't suppress the shudder. While he was grateful to the man for fighting him all the time, giving him the chance to absorb vast quantities of Reiatsu, which he knew he would need in the event Aizen attacked, Kenpachi did have a tendency to go…overboard. Suddenly he found himself praying that Kenpachi wasn't the one selected to go back with him. There wouldn't be a town left to defend.

_Two Weeks Later_

"What do you want, Ryuuken?" Uryu asked coldly.

"You're very rude, do you know that?" His father replied just as coldly. "I thought I raised you better than that."

"Grandfather did far more of that than you ever did."

"Only because you wouldn't listen to me."

"Listening to you would have meant abandoning souls that need help." Uryu didn't bother looking at his father.

"The Shinigami can handle that. Let the dead take care of the dead and focus on taking care of the living. If you want to help the dead so badly, why don't you die yourself and become one of them? At least that way you will not be trying to split your attention between two worlds."

"You didn't come here to trade insults, Ryuuken." Uryu refused to call the man 'father'. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why several of the documents your grandfather compiled on Quincy powers and left in my care have mysteriously gone missing."

"You think I had something to do with it?" Uryu asked, his lips quirking upwards.

"There is no 'think' about it, Uryu. You're the only one who could possibly be interested in the notes on Quincy powers."

"You wouldn't have given them to me if I asked, so I didn't bother."

"I hope that this newfound insolence of yours is merely the result of you spending so much time around the Shinigami, and not a permanent trend."

"Your hopes are dashed. No fault of the Shinigami, just a realization that you're not worthy of respect. Three traitorous Shinigami Captains have fled to Hueco Mundo and plan to use an army of Hollows to invade Karakura Town, sacrificing it and all the people in it to create a method for one of said traitorous Shinigami to become a god, yet you sit here and preach about protecting the living by ignoring the dead. You're wrong if you think that the dead don't affect us, they are a much graver threat than anything the living can bring to bear."

Chad had told Uryu the news immediately upon his return. Uryu hadn't really been pressing himself before then, confident that if he was capable of fighting a Shinigami Captain on relatively even grounds, then no Hollow that would venture into Karakura Town would last long before him.

Chad's words had changed that, putting things into a horrifying new perspective. Two of the treasonous Captains, Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, were said to be far stronger than Byakuya Kuchiki, and they had gained possession of an item that would allow them to turn Hollows into Arrancar, Hollows with Shinigami powers. But that wasn't the worst part. Urahara had confirmed that the Hogyoku would be able to turn upper-class Adjuchas into Captain-level combatants, to say nothing of what a Vasto Lorde would be capable of following the transformation.

Suddenly, Uryu felt nowhere near as confident as he had been earlier.

"Interesting." Ryuuken said, no emotion to his voice. "And where did you find out this fascinating piece of information?"

"Chad brought back news from Soul Society. Based on what he had been searching for in the vaults of Soul Society's leadership, they feel confident that they have discovered his objective."

"Once again, all problems have their roots with the Shinigami." Ryuuken mused.

"Be that as it may, they are certainly doing more to attempt to avert this crisis than you are, so if all your questions have been answered, I would appreciate you leaving." Uryu glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye.

"There are some very dangerous things in there, Uryu. You can't handle them."

"I don't need to be lectured on what I can or cannot handle from someone who turned his back on the Quincy heritage and is too much of a coward to actually help when his home is in danger of being sacrificed by a deranged madman."

"Is that what you think of me?" Ryuuken asked, his voice deceptively placid.

"There is no 'think' about it." Uryu replied, mimicking his fathers earlier words.

"I see. Then I don't suppose you would mind me testing you?"

Uryu's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Simply this. You seem to have a misconception of me. I did not turn away from the path of the Quincy because I lacked the ability, I turned away from that path simply because I lacked the interest."

"And that's what makes you weak." Uryu shot back. He normally wasn't this antagonistic towards anyone, but his father always seemed to be able to bring out the worst in him.

"Weak?" Ryuuken said, the tiniest trickle of amusement seeping into his voice. "If you truly believe that, then I propose a wager."

"What kind of wager?" Uryu asked warily. There was something about the almost predatory gleam in his fathers eyes that was making him nervous.

"Fight me. If you can even make me bleed, I'll concede. You can keep the notes your grandfather left me, and I'll leave you alone. But if you can't, you return the documents you stole from me, and allow me to train you."

"What do you get out of it?" Uryu asked.

The silver haired man chuckled. "Merely the satisfaction of making you realize that despite being the only person to ever achieve a permanent version of Final Form, you have barely begun to even scratch the surface of the Quincy's true potential." Ryuuken cocked his head to the side. "Well, than and the knowledge that I will be able to prevent you from causing irreparable harm to yourself. Despite our distance, you are my son, and I would hate for you to suffer something of a permanent nature."

Uryu silently summoned his bow. "Then come and get me, _father_." The last word was barely a hiss. "After all, I have a meeting with Chad and the Shinigami sent to help us at Urahara's shop tonight. I don't want to be late."

Ryuuken smiled coldly. "Don't worry. Being late will be the least of your concerns."

Chad was stunned, completely speechless as Uryu came staggering into the Urahara Shoten, covered in blood-soaked bandages, glasses cracked and eyes dull.

Uryu didn't reply as he tripped over the doorframe, clearly so exhausted and injured that he was barely able to stand. Chad was at the door before Uryu hit the ground.

"What happened to him?" Toshiro Hitsugaya asked, his brow furrowed. From what he had heard, the Quincy had taken on Byakuya Kuchiki and fought him to a draw, anyone that could leave the boy in that kind of shape was no one he wanted to mess with, especially as limited as he was.

Urahara was at his side. "He picked a fight with the wrong person. The wounds appear to made by Quincy arrows. Judging from that and the fact he's bandaged up, and I'd say his father put him in his place."

Rukia just stood there, here eyes wide. Uryu Ishida, who had fought her brother on even grounds, had been beaten. And not just beaten, he'd been thoroughly crushed.

"At least we know that even if we should fail, Aizen won't be able to roll in here unopposed, not if Uryu's father is that powerful." Chad grunted, trying to stay positive.

"Yes." Toshiro said slowly. "That is a good thing. Soul Society couldn't afford to send anyone here but myself and Rukia, not as decimated as we were."

The conversation continued as Uryu barely hang on to consciousness, his father's voice ringing in his ears.

'_Tomorrow, Uryu. 7:00. Don't make me wait.'_

If Uryu could have moved his body, his fists would have been clenched in rage. His father had completely outclassed him, speed, number of arrows, power of arrows, energy manipulation, his father was leagues away from him in every category he could think of, and Ryuuken hadn't even been seriously pushing himself.

The experience had left him humbled, and more than a little curious.

'_How, father? How did you, who turned your back on the Quincy way, become so powerful?'_

Right there, his consciousness fading away as Tessai began to heal him, Uryu made a vow.

'_I will learn how you became so powerful. I will learn everything you have to teach me, and then, I'll improve on it. I will become the most powerful Quincy the world has ever seen. And I will not be hesitant about using that power to protect my home. I will begin the rebirth of the Quincy.'_

Uryu's world went black.

_Christmas Day, Six Months After Aizen Left Soul Society_

Ichigo stood up, the Hollow hole in the middle of his chest exposed as he stretched. Pulling on his coat, he fastened the three buckles across his chest, and grabbled his Zanpakuto, white sheath gripped in his left hand. Opening his door, he entered the hallway, heading for the meeting room. On the way there he met Grimmjow, the other Espada sleepily rubbing his eyes. For a few moments there was silence between the two.

"Why do you think Aizen called this meeting?" Grimmjow asked Ichigo irritably to start the conversation.

"Who knows?" Ichigo shot back, just as irritable about his sleep being interrupted as Grimmjow was. "Nnoitra was telling me yesterday that the final two members of the Espada have been selected."

"And we need to have a meeting for something as ridiculous as that? Not to mention I've been getting bored just waiting for Aizen to be ready. I mean, seriously, what the fuck is he waiting for, Soul Society's sky to fall and kill everybody there or something?"

"Wouldn't surprise me if that's exactly what he's waiting for." Ichigo growled.

"So, have you taken a Fraccion yet?" Grimmjow asked, more to get off the topic of Aizen than anything else. Nobody ever knew when he was listening in on their conversations, looking for signs of disloyalty.

"No, you know I'm not going to take one. Why, do you want to pawn Di Roy off on somebody?"

"The thought has occurred to me." Grimmjow admitted.

"I've heard that Barragan is looking for another Fraccion if you want to get rid of him that badly."

"I already tried." Grimmjow replied. "Damn asshole chased me out of his quarters."

"Wow, I didn't realize that Di Roy was that disliked among the other Arrancar."

"Well, that's what he gets when he's the weakest one by far. Hell, there are Gillians stronger than him. _Regular _Gillians."

"If you try giving him to me you're going to be a hell of a lot more bored than you are now, cause from what I remember when you were first brought here, the med-bay isn't that exciting of a place." Ichigo warned.

"Relax, Ulquiorra's my next target, not you. Who knows, maybe having Di Roy as a Fraccion will get him to lighten up a little."

Ichigo snorted. "Good luck with that."

By that point, the two of them had reached the door that led to the meeting room. Ichigo pushed the door open, and he and Grimmjow strode in.

Except for the head of the table where Aizen usually sat, there were only two seats open, meaning that Ichigo and Grimmjow were the last two to arrive.

A short, thin man with pale skin, green eyes, black hair, and a mask fragment that resembled half of a helmet looked over at them. "You're late." He said flatly.

Ichigo looked around. "I don't see Aizen, so we're not late. Go back to brooding, Ulquiorra." Ichigo shot a look at Grimmjow, and Grimmjow snickered as he picked up the meaning of it.

"What's so funny?" An elderly man with a scar over his eye and a white mask fragment that resembled a five-pointed crown growled at the two of them.

Ichigo shot him a disgusted look. Aizen had appointed the older Vasto Lorde as the Primera (First) Espada without even allowing Ichigo, or any of the other Vasto Lorde, for that matter, to even attempt to fight him for the rights for the position. However, Aizen's easy defeat of both himself and Grimmjow still burned in Ichigo's mind, and Ichigo was forced to accept Aizen's word as law. For now. One day Aizen would fall, Ichigo would make sure of it.

"Private joke, Barragan, you wouldn't get it." Ichigo said dismissively.

Barragan stood up so fast that his chair clattered to the floor. "Do not show disrespect to me, Tercera (Third)." The deliberate use of Ichigo's rank got to the orange haired Vasto Lorde, and his right hand went to the hilt of the sword held in his left hand.

"You haven't proven a damned thing, Barragan, except maybe that you're Aizen's favorite. You didn't earn your rank, so don't think you can order me around." Ichigo almost snarled.

"I'm itching for a piece of you as well, Barragan, so just give me a reason." Grimmjow's hand also went to his Zanpakuto.

The rest of the Espada were silent, watching the drama unfold.

Barragan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the two Vasto Lorde opposite him. Grimmjow might be only the Sexta (Sixth) Espada, but he was a Vasto Lorde, and thus could not be taken lightly.

A buzz of Sonido heralded the arrival of the Septima (Seventh) Espada, Neliel Tu Oderschvank as she appeared next to Ichigo, one hand placed on his right arm. "Stop. All of you."

Ichigo's eyes didn't move from Barragan's, but he relaxed his grip on his sword.

Barragan smirked. "Taking orders from a lower ranked Espada? _You_ are the one who doesn't deserve his rank."

Ichigo's face twisted into a snarl and he stepped forward, shrugging off Nel's restraining hand. His Zanpakuto flashed as it was drawn halfway out of its sheath when a familiar Reiatsu interrupted him, freezing him in its tracks. "What is going on here?" A deceptively calm voice asked.

Ichigo looked over towards the head of the table, Aizen standing there flanked by Ichimaru and Tosen. "Nothing, Lord Aizen. Merely an argument that got a little spirited." Just the word 'Lord' left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I see." Aizen said, a small smile tugging at his lips, the man clearly amused by the scene before him. "I'm afraid the argument will have to be postponed. There is much business to accomplish today." Tosen and Ichimaru remained standing, Tosen expressionless while Ichimaru's ever-present grin hid his thoughts. Aizen sat down at the head of the table as two Numeros entered and began distributing tea. Icihgo sat down between Nel and Grimmjow as the tea was being poured, shooting a dirty look at Barragan in the process.

As soon as the cup in front of him was filled, Ichigo took a small sip to test the temperature, upon finding that it wasn't too hot, he drained the glass in one gulp.

"That's not how you're supposed to drink tea, Ichigo." Aizen admonished.

"Sorry, I'll do better next time."

"See that you do."

Small smiles graced the faces of most of the Espada. It had become something of a ritual at Espada meetings. Ichigo would drink the entire cup of tea in one gulp, Aizen would reprimand him, and Ichigo would promise to do better. Aizen allowed it because it tended to release the tension before the meeting.

When everyone was done with their tea and the Numeros had taken the cups away, Aizen spoke. "My dear Espada, I have selected the final two members. Szayel Aporro Granz" He gestured towards a man with pink hair who's mask fragment had taken the form of a pair of glasses "is the Noveno (Ninth) Espada, while Yammy" he now nodded towards a large man with a jawbone mask fragment, red hair and dark skin "is the Decima (Tenth) Espada."

"Now that the Espada are completed, what are we going to do now?" Nnoitra asked. "I'm itching to get out there and kill some Shinigami."

"Patience, Nnoitra, all in good time. First we must test Soul Society's strength in the area that we will need to fulfill our goals." Aizen looked over the gathered Espada. "Hmm, Kisuke Urahara is there, and where he is, Tessai and Yoruichi are not far away. Plus the unknown factor of whether _they_ are still in contact with him." Aizen mused out loud. "Very well. Ichigo, Ulquiorra and…Neliel." The three Espada in question all sat up a little straighter. "I need you to go to the world of the living and perform a reconnaissance mission for me. See what kind of strength Soul Society has placed in the town, what kind of defenders are in the area, record their strength and estimated threat level, that sort of thing. You three are dismissed, prepare to leave immediately. The rest of you will be on standby. Should the situation be favorable, we will invade immediately. Should it not be favorable, some of the more…elaborate scenarios will come into play."

Ichigo stood up, ready to leave when Grimmjow grabbed him by the shoulder. "Lucky bastard." He growled. "Leave some for me."

"No promises." Ichigo grinned savagely.

It was night in Karakura Town, but Kisuke Urahara couldn't sleep. _'It's been six months. Aizen should have made a move by now. I can't imagine what's taking him so long. It can't have taken him this long to simply create an army of Arrancar. What is he waiting for?'_

The answers would not come. Urahara was unaware that the answers he was seeking would soon be revealed. Or that he would wish he had never learned them.


	13. The Encounter

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Ulquiorra was the first to step out of the Garganta into the night sky. Neliel followed him, and Ichigo brought up the rear. For several moments they stood there, gazing down at the town.

Ichigo looked around. "This sucks." He grumbled, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "We come all this way and nobody's here to meet us."

Ulquiorra glanced at him for just a moment before returning his piercing gaze to the pattern of lights below, his expressionless eyes seeming to take in every detail. Ichigo stared sidelong at him before scowling and averting his eyes. The other Vasto Lorde was just so…infuriating. A puppet on strings would have more reaction and be more entertaining than the pale-skinned Cuatro Espada.

"Surely even you did not believe that they would be here waiting for us. They had no warning that we were coming, and it is the middle of the night, when humans and Shinigami are far more likely to be asleep than outside fighting." Ulquiorra's voice was nearly toneless.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. A puppet on strings wouldn't mock him, either. "So, do you want to wake them up, or shall I?" He asked, challenge obvious in his tone.

Neliel tensed, ready to move if the two of them decided to go at it. She disliked all the hatred amongst the various Espada, and tried to put a stop to it, but she knew when to get out of the way. Neither of the two Vasto Lorde would have to expend much effort in removing her from between them. Fortunately, her fears were unfounded

"You are the Tercera Espada, and the ranking member of this mission." Ulquiorra's green eyes shifted back to Ichigo. "I will only intervene if you begin to go against our master's orders."

"So he sent you to keep a leash on me, and you won't even do any of the work." Ichigo said disgustedly. "Fine, I'll wake them up." A white aura flared to life around them, lighting up the night sky like a miniature sun to those who could see spirits. "This should bring them running. The only question is if they'll be running towards us or away from us."

There were certain things in life that were not appreciated nearly as much as they should be. Uryu would say that a pleasant, uninterrupted sleep when the muscles weren't screaming at him from the hellish training his father put him through was one of those things. Christmas break had finally come, and Uryu wanted to spend his nights (and some of his days) curled up in bed, catching up on his sleep.

So when a Reiatsu that rivaled a Captain in power and reeked of Hollow interrupted one of the best nights of sleep he'd had in months, he was rather understandably upset. He sat straight up in bed, swearing like a sailor, flipped on his lamp and immediately began shedding his pajamas as he stood up. Racing over to his closet, he pulled out his white Quincy outfit, the same one he'd worn when he went to Soul Society, stitched up and ready to go into battle again. As he dressed he glanced over at the clock, the steady red lights telling him exactly what he didn't want to see. "1:21 in the morning?" He groused. "Why can't these Hollows ever have the decency to attack during the day?"

As soon as he was done tying his shoes, he jerked open the door to his room, only to find his father standing just outside, head turned in the direction of the Reiatsu. "Do you believe you can defeat it?" Ryuuken Ishida asked softly, his glasses reflecting the light from Uryu's lamp.

Uryu drew his eyebrows together. He didn't have time to deal with the insufferable man. He'd fought Byakuya Kuchiki to a draw before six months of hellish training with his father. Even a Hollow with as much raw Reiatsu as the Shinigami Captain wouldn't be too much of a problem. He slipped past the grey haired man and began to head down the hall.

"You're an even bigger fool than I thought, Uryu." Ryuuken remarked after him. Hearing the pace of his sons footsteps slow, a smile tugged at the man's lips. "Do you feel that strange, disgusting feel of a small amount of Shinigami Reiatsu mixed in with all that Hollow Reiatsu? That is the mark of an Arrancar, a Hollow that has removed its mask to gain Shinigami powers."

Even six months of spending more time together than they ever had before hadn't dulled Uryu's dislike for his father. If anything it had grown even stronger. The man took every opportunity to mock him, make him feel utterly worthless and inferior, in what Uryu was sure was a deliberate attempt to dissuade him from the Quincy path. Every milestone Uryu had achieved, his father had made blatantly clear that he was already well past, and every failed attempt at something was mocked by the ease with which his father performed the same action, almost patronizing him in how simple he made it look.

However, if nothing else his father was a good teacher, Uryu knew he wouldn't have gotten half as far without him, and the knowledge that he was in fact indebted to the man only made him loathe the situation he was in even more. But, his father had yet to lead him astray, and every lecture and demeaning breakdown of Uryu's shortcomings gave him valuable advice. So when the man spoke, Uryu listened, no matter how much he hated what he was hearing.

"So, what you're saying is that the…Arrancar out there is more powerful than he appears to be right now. And that I should be wary when facing him, because he can use Shinigami powers as well as Hollow powers." Uryu guessed.

"If that's all you've noticed, and you've only noticed that much because I said something, then you have a long way to go before you can become a true inheritor of the Quincy legacy." Before Uryu could snap back with an angry retort, Ryuuken continued. "Are there any other large sources of Reiatsu near that Arrancar that appear to be in conflict with it? Is it moving, even attempting to attack someone?" There was silence for a moment between the two Quincy. "Then why is it flaring its Reiatsu?" Uryu glared sullenly at his father. "It's obvious that the Arrancar is just trying to get the attention of the spiritually aware people in this town, and no one would flare the full power of their Reiatsu simply to get attention. What you're feeling is only the tip of the iceberg."

"Is there anything else I'm missing?" Uryu asked angrily, both impatient to get out and confront the Arrancar and a combination of furious and ashamed at how much his better his father was still effortlessly proving himself to be.

"Just one thing. I don't suppose you noticed the two beings with the Arrancar that aren't showing off." Uryu stood silently, not having sensed them. Ryuuken closed his eyes and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Rushing into a battle against an enemy that has not revealed its full strength and has reinforcements, compounded by the fact that you wouldn't have noticed either of those things if I hadn't said something. I don't understand how you've managed to survive as long as you have, Uryu. At this rate you're never going to be fit to be the successor to the Quincy legacy." The elder Quincy began to stride away from his son. "Well, get out there. If you survive this I hope you'll have a greater appreciation for what I'm trying to teach you."

Like Uryu, Chad had been asleep when he felt the Hollow's Reiatsu flare. Unlike Uryu, he hadn't been at his home. Chad had taken to staying at Urahara's, finding it easier to simply stay there than the trek back and forth from his house every day. After all, it wasn't like he was leaving anyone alone at the house.

Chad threw the blankets off of him, and had just begun to sit up when Urahara himself threw Chad's door open. "Stay here." Urahara said bluntly. "You can't handle this."

Chad froze in shock. Certainly the Hollow was powerful, and he might not have transformed since Soul Society, but did Urahara think he'd be completely useless? "I-"

"I said stay here!" Urahara snapped, punctuating his command by flaring his own Reiatsu, directing it at Chad. The man's brows came down fiercely over hard green eyes. "You can't handle this." The "can't" was clearly emphasized this time.

Without another word Urahara turned and left, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Chad still stunned by the intensity displayed by the man he'd worked closely with for nearly six months. He had never seen Urahara that serious, and the emphasis with which he'd said that Chad couldn't handle this was almost frightening.

"_He had no problems sending me and Uryu into Soul Society to face Lieutenants and even Captains, but six months later, when we're even stronger, he tells me to stay here?" _Chad wondered. _"Is this enemy really that strong?"_

Chad's face hardened. That didn't matter. He stood up, turning to where he'd placed his change of clothes. _"It doesn't matter if I'm not strong enough. I can't just sit on the sidelines when my home is under attack." _An image of two little girls, one with dark hair and a sour disposition and one with blonde hair who tried to be mature beyond her years appeared before him. _"I can't break my promise. If I don't use my strength to protect other people, then there's no point in having it." _He could almost feel two presences behind him, one to his right and one to his left. _"Isn't that right, grandfather, Ichigo?"_

Quickly pulling his blue jeans and white t-shirt on, Chad opened the door, stopping as he saw Ururu right in front of him. She looked up at him, dark eyes large and sad. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Before Chad could ask what she was sorry about, she sprang forward, the tip of her foot smashing into his solar plexus. Taken completely by surprise, Chad had no chance to even tense his muscles to absorb some of the impact, much less even attempt to block it or transform. The breath was driven from his lungs, and he folded over her foot like a wet towel as he nearly lost what was left of dinner from hours before.

Ururu stepped back as Chad collapsed onto the floor, desperately trying to both regain his breath and not throw up. Jinta's bat colliding with Chad's head was what completed his journey back to dreamland.

"Heh." Jinta grinned as he hefted his bat back up onto his shoulder. "Sorry about that, but the boss told you to stay here, and stay here you will."

Ichigo's head snapped to the left as he felt someone flare their Reiatsu. "There." He grinned. There was one, no, two other major Reiatsu sources near the first one, and a couple of minor ones. The one that had gotten his attention wasn't flaring its Reiatsu anymore, but it wasn't trying to hide it, either, and Ichigo could still feel them. "That should be this town's defenses." He muttered. "Let's go pay them a visit." He stopped flaring his Reiatsu and turned to Ulquiorra, who stared back at him impassively. "Does that meet with your approval, watchdog?"

"It is not detrimental to our mission to go to the enemy. It may even provoke any other allies they may have nearby to intervene, allowing us a more accurate gauge of their numbers and strength. The decision is yours." Ulquiorra replied after a moment's thought.

Ichigo turned back towards the source of the Reiatsu, a satisfied smile on his lips. "Well then, my decision stands. Let's go pay them a visit."

Shinji Hirako stood just outside the warehouse that the Vizards called home, carefully suppressing his Reiatsu so as not to be noticed by anyone. "So, my old Lieutenant has finally made a move." He mused. "He's certainly collected himself some powerful subordinates."

"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Love commented as he strode out of the warehouse, stopping right next to Shinji. "We've waited one hundred years for a chance at revenge and now that everything's finally started, I almost wish it hadn't."

"What are you talking about?" Shinji questioned. "You don't think we can win?"

"That's not what he's saying at all." Kensei Muguruma said from behind them as he leaned against the door. "What he's saying is that despite being outcasts, we've managed to make a pretty good life for ourselves down here, and that throwing that away for a one hundred year old grudge is kind of silly." Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but Kensei cut him off. "Look, I understand how you feel, my subordinate betrayed me too. But you and I are the only ones that have that kind of connection to Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen. Sure, the others are pissed off about what happened, but it isn't personal for them."

"So what are you saying? That we should let Aizen and his group get away with doing that to us? That we should just forget about how we got torn from our lives and our friends because of that bastard? That we should forget about how we nearly died repeatedly because of him, and only didn't thanks to Urahara, Yoruichi and Tessai taking us with them when they escaped?"

"That's not it." Kensei said quietly, sounding tired as he pushed himself to an upright position. "Believe me, I want blood for what happened to us just as much as you do. Probably even more, since Tosen killed several of my squad members during that fiasco. Just don't be too surprised if some of the others are a little less enthusiastic about re-involving ourselves in this whole business. I know that Hachi and Mashiro are pretty content with how things have worked out, and it wouldn't surprise me if Lisa and Rose feel the same way."

With that, Kensei vanished back into the darkness of the warehouse. "He's right, you know." Love said quietly.

Shinji didn't respond.

Urahara stepped out in front of the shop, where Yoruichi and Tessai were waiting for him. What surprised him was the Wakizashi strapped to Yoruichi's waist. Urahara felt his own estimation of the seriousness of the situation rising, Yoruichi was taking this damned seriously if she was bringing out her Zanpakuto.

Tessai was hard to read, but Urahara had known him for a long time, and the slight twitching of his fingers and slightly crouched posture spoke volumes to the blonde-haired man.

The Arrancar, they all knew that was exactly what it was as soon as they'd felt the mixture of Shinigami and Hollow Reiatsu, was coming straight for them, two others trailing it.

The three Arrancar appeared at almost exactly the same time, no more than a second separating them. Urahara immediately began categorizing them, tryng to gain as much information as possible before the inevitable battle began. The first one was short, with chalk-white skin and dead green eyes. Two green lines ran down from his eyes, like tear tracks. Half a helmet wrapped around the left side of his head, and his Hollow hole was at the base of his throat. He wore mostly white, with his hands stuck in the pockets of his robe, and a Zanpakuto with an eye-shaped guard at his waist. Judging by his Reiatsu, he was the second strongest of the three.

The second one was a woman, with long green hair, hazel eyes and a pink stripe running across her nose, just below her eyes. She, like the first one, wore white, however her outfit completely covered her, and Urahara was unable to see where her Hollow hole was. Her Hollow mask sat on top of her head, the skull of some kind of horned beast, and her Zanpakuto was strapped to her waist, its green sheath contrasting the white of her clothes. She was clearly the weakest of the three, even her behavior reflected that, maintaining a respectful distance from the other two.

The final and strongest one wore an open trench coat fastened by three buckles across the chest that left the majority of his torso bare. His sleeves were rolled up to above the elbows, and his pants flared out slightly at the bottom. Unlike the other two, he didn't wear sandals, instead there were boots covering his feet. His Hollow hole was right in the middle of his chest, and his Zanpakuto was strapped across his back, slightly longer than a daito, with white hilt wrapping and an X shaped guard. The remnants of his Hollow mask were two small pieces, just above his ears, each one having a horn that curved to point forward. His face…

Urahara's eyes widened. Orange hair, slightly straighter, no longer the spiky mess it had been, but still the exact same shade. Brown irises set in narrow eyes, high cheekbones and thin lips. The skin was a shade lighter than it had been, but he was looking at an almost exact replica of…

"Yo." The Arrancar raised a hand. "The name's Ichigo Kurosaki, Tercera (Third) Espada." He gestured to his companions. "The guy who looks like he painted his skin white is Ulquiorra Schiffer, Cuatro (Fourth) Espada. The lady is Neliel Tu Oderschvank, the Septima (Seventh) Espada. And who might you be?"

Showing no sign outwardly of the massive shock he'd just received, Urahara smiled and pulled out his fan, flipping it open to cover most of his face. "I'm Kisuke Urahara, the owner of this humble shop. This is my best friend Yoruichi Shihouin, and this is my assistant Tessai Tsukabishi. Can I interest you in some of my products? I carry a very large selection."

Ichigo laughed, Neliel let out a giggle, and Ulquiorra was completely expressionless. "Sorry, we're not here for shopping." Ichigo said once he got his laughter under control. "We're here to test how strong this town's defenses are. Are you three all there is?"

Urahara continued to smile genially. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you that." Everyone began to tense, it was obvious that the banter wouldn't last long.

A slow smile crept aross Ichigo's face. "Is that so?" His hand drifted back to the hilt of his Zanpakuto, fingers closing slowly around the hilt. An approaching Reiatsu made him pause, cocking his head to the side as he glanced out of the corner of his eye to where it was coming from. With surprising speed, he had unsheathed the Zanpakuto and deflected a blue streak of light.

"You do realize that it's rude to interrupt somebody else's fight, don't you?" Ichigo called out as he held his sword between him and his attacker, still facing Urahara. "Am I going to have to be dealing with people like you butting in all night long?"

Uryu stepped forward. "No. There shouldn't be anyone else." He looked at Urahara. "Chad said he was staying here. Did you forbid him from coming out here or something?"

Urahara had to resist the urge to swear at the Quincy. If there was one thing Uryu had yet to learn it was to keep his mouth shut. Thanks to him, the Arrancar now knew that they were the only ones protecting the town. Soul Society had pulled their representative back after three months of no activity, desperately trying to shore up their own defenses and relying on Chad, Uryu and Urahara to block any initial probe long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Ichigo grinned. "Good to know. There are only five of you, then, and one isn't powerful enough to come out." He let the arm holding the sword drop to his side, and turned his head to face the Quincy. "Thanks for the information."

Uryu's eyes grew wide behind his glasses, and his bow disappeared as his entire body went numb. "Ichigo?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Damn, how good are your ears?" Ichigo asked, genuinely curious. "I wasn't talking that loudly, and I know you were a long way away when I was introducing myself."

"Don't say anything, Uryu!" Urahara snapped, his Zanpakuto drawn. Uryu looked between Urahara and Ichigo, clearly confused.

"Urahara, is that really-" Uryu began, praying that what he feared wasn't true.

"I'll explain everything later." Urahara cut him off.

"This isn't the time for this, Uryu." Yoruichi pinned him with a hard look, clearly sensing his defiance.

"I believe it is time for us to retreat." Ulquiorra said quietly. Ichigo turned to him incredulously.

"What are you talking about? We haven't even got a chance to fight yet. Our orders say that we're supposed to test the defenses of this place, remember fanatic?"

"We have concluded our mission. There are five people defending the town, one of which is too weak to face us. They are clearly not organized, and if they were confident in their ability to defeat us they would have attacked immediately rather than waste time with idle talk. We also have their names. Our assignment is complete." Ulquiorra calmly listed his reasons for retreating. "Aizen would not be pleased with you if you went outside the boundaries of our mission."

Ichigo growled at Ulquiorra threatening him with Aizen's wrath. "Fine." If Aizen wasn't happy with the intelligence they brought back, he could blame Ulquiorra for returning early. He turned back towards Urahara, Tessai and Yoruichi. "It's been a pleasure talking with you, but we have to go. Maybe next time we'll actually get to cross swords." Ulquiorra opened a Garganta. "See you later." Ichigo waved as they disappeared through it.

Urahara angrily sheathed Benihime before turning to Uryu. The Quincy's eyes were like chips of ice. "We need to talk." The boy said, clearly not willing to take no for an answer.

Urahara's gaze was just as flinty. "We most certainly do."

Aizen sat on his throne as Ulquiorra finished replaying what had happened on their mission. "Interesting." He mused. "Kisuke, Tessai, Yoruichi and the Quincy that fought Byakuya Kuchiki in Soul Society. If that's the case, then the fifth one that was too weak to come out was probably the one that fought Komamura." Aizen glanced down at the three Espada before him. "Ulquiorra, what do you make of the boy?" There was only one person he could have been talking about.

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment. "He clearly did not hear Kurosaki introduce himself, as he only reacted after he saw Kurosaki's face. He clearly recognized him for who he was, since he correctly identified him by name, and the shop owner cut him off when he attempted to ask about Kurosaki's identity. It is most probable that he recognized Kurosaki from when he was still alive, and was possibly close to him."

Aizen nodded. "I agree." He stared off into space for several moments. "Perhaps we can use this."

"What, do you want me to pretend to remember him or something?" Ichigo asked, clearly annoyed.

"No, no, nothing so obvious. That is far too easy to uncover as a lie. A more subtle approach is needed." Aizen stood up. "But enough of that for today. You did well. Return to your quarters and rest. We will not be invading immediately." He needed to plan for a few hours. This was the sort of thing that could tip the balance further in his favor. Leave no advantage unexploited was his motto, and it had served him well up to this point.

Things had just gotten far more complicated on both sides of the war.


	14. Plots and Conversations

Author of Chapters 1-14: XXXG-01D

Urahara sat down in the wooden chair, willing himself to get his frustration under control. He had been waiting and planning for this for over 100 years, and he was not going to let some immature Quincy cause him to lose his temper. No matter how irritating said Quincy was being. Yoruichi sat on the table, having returned to her cat form. He had noticed that she liked to take that form whenever a really serious discussion was on the agenda. He wasn't sure why, but he suspected it had something to do with her deeper voice in the smaller form.

He brought his attention back to the reason for said really serious discussion, pushing his theories about Yoruichi's reasons for preferring her cat form to the back of his mind.

The Quincy that had demanded the discussion that they were about to have was obviously working hard to keep his cool, just like Urahara himself was. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his jaw was clenched as he waited for Urahara to make the first move. Chad was also there, but he was more surprised and curious than angry, one of the advantages of the giant being a much more easygoing person than Uryu. _'Or maybe it just hasn't really sunk in yet.'_ The more cynical part of Urahara's mind chimed in.

Well, if the Quincy wanted him to start, then start he would. "I suppose you want to know why I kept this from you." It wasn't a question.

Chad opened his mouth, but Uryu beat him to the reply. "It would certainly be nice." Uryu snapped. Chad glanced at him, not liking the hostility between his friend and his teachers. While he was upset as well, keeping this discussion civil and reasonably pleasant would be far more productive than turning it into a place to vent their frustrations. They could do that in the training area.

"I didn't tell you initially because I didn't want you distracted or upset at me while you were training for going to Soul Society. Either of those would have slowed down your training, and considering that you barely survived while you were there, I'd say that any slowing of your training would have been…fatal." The last word hung in the air.

"You could have told us after we got back from Soul Society." Uryu was not going to let this go. Even if Urahara did have a reason (a fairly flimsy reason, Uryu felt, but one that could be justified) for not telling them before they went to Soul Society, it had been six months since they'd returned, there was no way Urahara could justify not telling them in the meantime.

"You're right, I could have. Maybe I should have." Urahara sighed. "But I was hoping that he wouldn't become involved in this war, and I didn't want to burden you with the knowledge unless it became absolutely necessary."

"You mean you wanted to keep using us, and you wouldn't be able to if we knew about what happened." Uryu immediately shot back.

"It's not that black and white, Uryu." Yoruichi's voice rumbled from the small body. "It may not have been the best of decisions, but we are trying to save your hometown. We and the Shinigami are the only things standing between this town and Aizen sacrificing it." Uryu drew in a breath, preparing for a seething retort when she continued. "Yes, we didn't tell you the whole truth, and yes, we probably could have handled it better, but remember the larger picture here, Uryu. You're not in a position to be burning any bridges right now."

Chad intervened before Uryu could say anything else. He could tell that his friend was not in a rational state of mind, and that anything he said was likely to make things worse. "Could you tell us what actually happened?"

Urahara nodded. "I don't think it'll hurt anything now. The first part of his training went well, but the second part…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chad sat in the training area, slowly going over what he'd learned. His best friend was a Hollow. Not just a Hollow, but one of the strongest warriors on Aizen's side. He would be attacking them. He would have to be beaten, probably killed, in order to protect his town. In order to protect his sisters, the ones Chad had promised to protect. Now, he'd be protecting them from the man he had sworn the promise to. He couldn't even imagine a more screwed up scenario.

He looked over at Uryu, the Quincy still obviously furious. The young archer's bow had recently begun to look like a silver spider web. Shots were flying off the bow so quickly that it looked more like a solid stream of blue energy than a large collection of individual arrows.

After he had finished explaining things, Urahara had invited them to use the training room to blow off some steam while he made a report on the nights events to Soul Society. Even as angry as he was at Urahara, Uryu was taking full advantage of that invitation, since there weren't very many other places that he could destroy things with impunity. "Uryu." He called, worried for the other boy.

Uryu looked over. "Yes?"

"Are you still upset?"

It was so obvious a question that Uryu didn't even dignify it with a response, but he knew what Chad was really asking. "He lied to us. He lied to us for over six months, and he only told the truth when it was staring him in the face. And then he has the nerve to get on my case for 'giving information to the enemy'." His last words were spoken with a venomous hiss. "I might not have been as shocked if he hadn't lied to me and led me to believe that Ichigo was gone for good, but then he goes and blames me for a mess that he caused."

"He explained the situation. He apologized for deceiving us." Chad pointed out.

Uryu gave him a hard stare. "Maybe you're content with his justifications and an apology, but I don't know if I'll ever trust him again." With that, Uryu used Hirenkyaku to move to the entrance, unwilling to stay any longer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rukia Kuchiki slowed to a stop in front of the small monument, smooth granite glittering under the pale moonlight. It was something she found herself doing more and more lately, coming to the monument when she couldn't sleep, talking to two of the names carved into its surface.

Jushiro Ukitake. Renji Abarai. Ikkaku Madarame. The three of them had been given a small monument for their part in the discovering of Aizen's treachery, mostly due to Captains Kyoraku, Kenpachi, Hitsugaya and Kuchiki campaigning for it. There were also rumors going around that the Captain Commander had wanted to have a memorial for his student.

Rukia knelt down in front of the monument, her head bowed for a moment before she began to speak. "Hello Captain Ukitake." She paused for a moment, almost as if expecting a response. "It's been a couple of days since the last time we talked. Lieutenant Sasakibe is doing a fine job of running Squad 13, Captain Ukitake. Even Kiyone and Sentaro are starting to get back to their old selves. I've moved up in rank again, I'm now at 4th Seat." She laughed sadly. "Ever since my brother let me become a seated office, I've moved up very quickly. Lieutenant Sasakibe says that once everything is settled and a new Captain is found for Squad 13, he's going to recommend me for a Lieutenant's position. He also said my growth lately has been remarkable. I've talked with Sode no Shirayuki a lot more lately, and I think I'm getting close to learning a Fourth Dance. Just the other day, I cast Gochutekkan (Quintet of Iron Pillars) for the first time. That's the second new Kido spell I've learned in the last six months, and I'm trying to learn Senju Koten Taiho (Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear). I know it's a Level 91 spell, and I've got a long way to go, but my brother is helping me. He says that he knows the spell, but doesn't like using it."

She went silent for a moment to compose herself. She was starting to ramble, something she found herself doing quite often at the memorial. It was like Captain Ukitake was there, the kind, gentle man that everyone in the Squad had loved, but without the sickness or the duties that had made him seem so inaccessible to her before. While he would never have turned her away had she wanted to talk, it had always seemed wrong to ask a man who already shouldered so much to listen to her problems too. But now she imagined his spirit there, as kind as ever, but with no responsibilities, and now she could talk to her hearts content. Now, intellectually she knew that her Captain was gone, reincarnated into the world of the living as a new soul, but sometimes it helped if she pretended that his spirit was there, ready to listen to anything she had to say.

"Hello, Renji." It was always harder for her to talk to Renji than it was to talk to Captain Ukitake, and she knew why. She still felt guilt, guilt over how she had treated him after they had left the academy, and guilt over how he had died to save her, even after how she'd treated him. More than once she had broken down at the memorial. "Brother still refuses to replace you. You left more of a mark on him than I thought anyone could." She was silent for a moment, wondering what else she could say. "Your friends at Squad Eleven haven't stopped howling for blood because of you and Ikkaku dying. Just last week they presented a petition to the Captain Commander, asking for Ca-Tosen's head when he's finally caught. They want it as some kind of trophy." Rukia laughed lightly. "At least they've stopped asking for Lieutenant Sasakibe's head. Lieutenant Kusajishi was leading the charge on that one, but even she seems to have given up lately."

Tears were starting to fall from her eyes, her feelings of guilt seeming to swallow her whole. "Kira's doing well." She whispered. "So is Yumichika. He's made 3rd Seat, now that Ikkaku's gone. I-"

Footsteps interrupted her, and her head whipped around to see who it was. A lone figure emerged from the darkness, medium height with short, dark red hair. He paused as he saw her. "I'm sorry." Came his voice. "I didn't realize that anyone else was here." He turned to leave. "I don't want to interrupt your time with them. I'll come back later." Rukia nodded her thanks as he disappeared back into the shadows.

In a way, she was almost glad for the interruption. It gave her a chance to calm down and collect her thoughts. She'd been getting close to just rambling, and that wasn't what she was here for. "I just want to know why, Renji. After everything, why did you give up your life to rescue me? What made you think that I was worth it?"

'_Maybe he didn't think you were.'_ The thought chilled her. _'After all, you saw that he attained Bankai, maybe he didn't think that you were worth giving up his life for at all. Maybe he thought that he wouldn't die, and when he did he died cursing you for dragging him into that situation.'_

That was a thought that she had been trying very hard to avoid confronting. Not only did it make a terrible amount of sense, it also wasn't like she could ask Renji whether it was true or not, since he was now dead. "I'm just so sorry. I wish that I had treated you better after we got into the Squads, and I wish that you were here so I could tell you how sorry I am."

She stayed like that, staring at the granite statue for the next several minutes, never having felt more alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you for waiting while I spoke to my Captain." Rukia said as she bowed to the solemn man.

"Were you part of Captain Ukitake's squad as well?" He asked, seeming to brighten up. "I've been gone for three hundred years, so I don't know any of the newer people to the Seireitei."

"Yes. I'm the Fourth Seat, Rukia Kuchiki." She responded, inclining her head.

"The Fourth Seat? And a Kuchiki?" He paused for a moment. "I'm honored to meet you. I'm Ashido Kano. I was an unranked member of Squad 13 when my entire patrol got trapped when we pursued fleeing Hollows into Hueco Mundo. I just recently returned when Sosuke Aizen was leaving Soul Society. I've been kept under surveillance since I came back, and this is my first chance to really come out and about." He used his thumb to point over his shoulder. "I've still got a tail, they don't trust me. I don't blame them, really, my arriving right when Aizen left is more than a little suspicious. But I wanted to see the memorial for Captain Ukitake, to tell him how the members of that patrol died."

"He cared about every member of his Squad." Rukia said quietly, looking over her shoulder towards the monument.

Ashido smiled slightly. "Indeed he did. That's one of the reasons that I admired him as a Captain so much. A lot of the Captains, especially the Noble ones, are cold to the point you'd think they see their troops as little more than those Mod Souls I've heard people talk about, completely disposable." Rukia winced at the comparison, but couldn't find it in herself to actually deny it. Her brother _was_ completely callous to the members of his squad. Even Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen had been kinder to their Lieutenants than her brother had been to Renji. Before she could respond, he continued. "I've heard about you."

What he had said about the Captains who were Noble, and his implied insult towards her brother, vanished from her mind. "You have?"

"Yes. How could I not have? It was the effort to rescue you that nearly brought Soul Society into open civil war, and resulted in the deaths of a Captain and a Lieutenant." His eyes were almost completely blank, she could see nothing of what he was thinking, and that unnerved her more than almost anything else would have.

Rukia winced for the second time. "D-Do you blame me for his death?" She almost feared the answer. While no one had come out and said it, several members of her own Squad had taken to avoiding her. And in some ways, the ostracism hurt worse than people outright blaming her would have. At least then she'd be able to interact with other people, instead of being left alone with her guilt.

"No." Rukia's eyes widened. There was no doubt in his voice, no hesitation whatsoever. He genuinely did not blame her for the death of the beloved Captain. He continued to speak as he stared into the distance behind her, the famed 'thousand yard stare' that everyone who had seen a comrade die slipped into on occasion, herself included. "How could I? If Captain Ukitake believed that saving you was a cause worth giving up his life for, then I'm not going to be the one to say that he was wrong."

Rukia's lower lip trembled as she looked down at the ground. "Thank you." She said, so quietly she was sure he wouldn't be able to hear her. And for a moment, it appeared that he hadn't, as he continued to stare at the monument.

"After my patrol got stranded in Hueco Mundo, it was…brutal." He began, not looking away from the monument. "The Hollows were everywhere. It seemed there was no safe place we could run, and no matter how many we killed, more showed up to take their place." Rukia looked over at him, sensing that this would be something she wanted to hear. "I wasn't the strongest member of the patrol, I wasn't the fastest, I wasn't the best swordsman, and I wasn't the best Kido user. But as we began to be picked off, as the hours turned into days and we started to fall to the Hollows, three of my squad members gave up their lives to save me. Three different times I was about to die, and three different times a member of our patrol took the blow for me. After everyone else was dead, I managed to escape, hiding out in the caves that line a certain section of the Menos Forest." He focused on her face again, looking down at her with eyes that radiated wisdom just like Captain Ukitake's always had, the eyes of a man that had seen horrors, had suffered and lived to tell about it. "The forest was fierce. There was no place for the weak, they couldn't survive. So I fought and bled, barely escaping with my life on numerous occasions. Yet I always wondered why my comrades had chosen to save me. I couldn't understand why they gave up their lives for me, when there was no certainty that I would live even after their sacrifice. But as the years went by, I realized something. It didn't matter why they'd given up their lives for me. It didn't matter that I didn't think I was worthy of their sacrifice. What mattered was that they thought I was worth dying for, and that they had entrusted me with living as long and as well as I could in exchange for their sacrifice. So I stayed in the Menos Forest, I killed all the Hollows I could. I wanted to make a difference, to prevent the Hollows from hurting innocent people, so that their deaths would mean something important."

He reached his hand out to place it on her shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and then rested it on her shoulder. "I don't know why Captain Ukitake chose to give his life for you. But I'd like to think that he'd be happier if he knew you were living the best life you could live." He withdrew his hand and took a step back. "I'm sorry for being so forward, it's just that I didn't want you to have to suffer for one hundred years before starting to cope with what happened, the way I did." He turned toward the monument, doubtlessly eager to speak to Captain Ukitake, but he paused and turned his head to fix his eyes on hers again. "Remember, we all choose our own paths to follow. We can never know why someone else chose the path they did. We can only do our best to live our lives as well as we possibly can, and to not dishonor those who thought that we were worth protecting."

With that, the man walked into the darkness, Rukia staring wide-eyed at his back until he disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sosuke Aizen sat in his quarters, pondering recent events. "I'm certain Soul Society has discovered what information I accessed in the library of the Central 46, and what I plan to do with it." They weren't all incompetent morons, just most of them. There was no doubt in his mind that they had managed to figure out at least the gist of his plan. "The Espada are fully assembled, and Szayel especially will tip the tide in my favor should it come to out and out war." While that was an option, it wasn't high on his list, especially anywhere near Karakura Town. It wouldn't do to kill most of the people that he would need for the sacrifice. A war in Soul Society would be a better choice, but outright wars were inherently chaotic, and something was bound to go wrong during one. Worst case scenario, he might even outright lose. But that was pretty far down the list of options, he had other more subtle, less risky options.

"That just leaves the Quincy." He formed a steeple with his fingers under his chin, letting his mind wander. "If he was as close to Kurosaki before he died as Ulqiuorra seems to believe, then Kurosaki could prove to be what draws him away from Soul Society. He is a Quincy, and thus I doubt that he has a very high opinion of Shinigami to begin with, but the combination of his seeming bond with Kurosaki and the revelation of Kurotsuchi's experiments on his ancestors should be enough to turn him fully against them." Not that the Quincy would be alone in hating Kurotsuchi. Tosen couldn't stand the man, and Aizen found it very difficult to be near the man for any length of time as well. _'Gin certainly finds him amusing, though.'_ Aizen thought. Then again, Gin found nearly everything amusing.

Anyway, back on track, the Quincy would be a valuable addition, not only as a warrior who fought Byakuya Kuchiki to a draw, but also as an agent on the other side, better for fermenting discord, providing intelligence for him and disseminating false information to his foes. After all, Aizen was a man who well understood the value of a well-placed backstab, both of his greatest successes having come from betrayals. "If he is able to be swayed to my side." Aizen murmured softly. That was the key condition, if he was able to be persuaded to join Aizen. "Perhaps he could even provide me with information about the nature of the other boy's powers, the one who fought Komamura. Even with as little as I was capable of seeing, it seemed to be a most intriguing power. Right now I don't have the luxury of pursuing it, but perhaps later."

Unfortunately, that all hinged on the cooperation of the Quincy, and after he had been in contact with Urahara for several months, the former 12th Squad Captain had doubtlessly filled the Quincy's head with stories about how evil of a man Aizen was. And that, unfortunately, meant that the Quincy would be predisposed to disbelieve anything that Aizen said, no matter how truthful he was or how easy it was to confirm what he said. But perhaps his bond with Kurosaki from when he was alive could be used to get him to at least listen to Aizen's point of view. After a few more moments of deliberation, staring at the blank wall in front of him, he settled on what he felt was most likely to succeed and nodded in satisfaction. "Kaname would be best. Kaname would be able to better connect to the boy, as a fellow victim of Shinigami. Use Kurosaki to lure him to a remote area where the Quincy and Tosen could converse without anyone interrupting, as well as show him that the Arrancar are capable of controlling their instincts, that they are no longer merely crazed monsters like most regular Hollows are. That would make him more sympathetic to my plan of converting all Hollows into Arrancars; certainly he would be able to see the benefits of such a system." There was the minor problem that Aizen was going to sacrifice the Quincy's hometown in order to create the King's Key, but he was relatively confident that Tosen could argue the Quincy around to their viewpoint, that it was a necessary sacrifice in order to change the deplorable way things worked.

However, the possibility that the Quincy might attempt to backstab him was not something to overlook. The Quincy would not be brought to Las Noches, he would not be privy to the details of Aizen's plans, and all communication after the initial probe with Tosen and Kurosaki, should the Quincy even be amenable to conversation, would be done by proxy, a low level Arrancar that was expendable. Some of Aizen's greatest successes had come from betrayals, he was not willing to expose himself, to render himself vulnerable to a betrayal. The Quincy would have to handled with care, both to make him more useful, and to minimize any chance of a successful and harmful betrayal.

Aizen stood up, mostly content with his plan. He was tempted to call Tosen and Ichigo in immediately, but it was very late, or rather, very early, and it would be better if Tosen wasn't fighting grogginess as he attempting to win the Quincy over to their side. Not to mention the small fact that sending in both of them would draw all the defenders to them like flies to honey, and would make it much more difficult to get the Quincy alone for the length of time needed for them to have a worthwhile debate. While he could send in numerous Arrancar, that would likely draw reinforcements, and he wasn't prepared to start sacrificing his troops this early. Suddenly, he recalled the memory of the night when Kisuke Urahara was banished from Soul Society. "That cloak. It hid its wearer's Reiatsu. I wonder is Szayel would be able to create something similar?" Deciding it was at least worth a shot, Aizen used Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis powers to send a message to Szayel, saying that he would like to see the scientist in the throne room immediately.

He strode towards the door to his room, hoping that Szayel would give him a positive response. "Soon, everything will fall into place." He murmured, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the last Captain to arrive, and silently taking his place beside Toshiro Hitsugaya, waiting for the meeting to begin. All nine remaining Captains were there, as were acting Captains Shuhei Hisagi of Squad Nine, Kira Izuru of Squad Three, Ise Nanao of Squad Five and Chojiro Sasakibe of Squad Thirteen.

Yamamoto thumped his cane on the floor once to make sure he had everyone's attention. "Last night, three Arrancar invaded the world of the living. Sosuke Aizen has begun to move." He paused for a moment to make sure that the gravity of the situation was not lost on anyone there, and resumed speaking when he was satisfied that it was not. "Kisuke Urahara was able to repel the assault, although he reports that it was a reconnaissance mission, as confirmed by one of the Arrancar when they retreated. He estimated two of the invaders as probable Vasto Lorde class Arrancar, and the third as most likely high Adjuchas class. He also reported that the two probably Vasto Lordes were introduced as the Third and Fourth Espada. He believes that these "Espada" are Aizen's strongest forces, and that they are ranked in order of decreasing strength, based upon the Reiatsu levels of the ones he encountered. If he is correct, then Aizen has a minimum of four Vasto Lorde Arrancar under his command, along with the three traitorous Captains and probably several powerful Adjuchas Arrancars."

Aside from Kenpachi, every face in the room was grim. "It looks like Aizen hasn't been just sitting around the last six months. This is going to be a lot harder than I'd hoped." Shunsui Kyoraku was the one to break the silence, reaching up to pull his straw hat down lower on his face.

"We have not been idle, either." Yamamoto continued where he had left off, sweeping his gaze across the assembled Captains, letting his eyes linger on the acting Captains. "Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya informed me several weeks ago that his Lieutenant had succeeded in attaining Bankai using Kisuke Urahara's training device. Have any of you" he looked at all those who did not possess a Captains Haori "or your subordinates" now his gaze turned to those that did possess the garment "succeeded in attaining Bankai?"

In the aftermath of Aizen's betrayal, several arrangements had been made with Kisuke Urahara. In return for his aid during the war and access to his inventions that might prove useful, his banishment had been lifted and he had been given full access to his successor Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research. Kurotsuchi had not been happy, but his protests had been overruled by Yamamoto, who was still the highest authority in the Gotei 13. Even though the Central 46 had been reformed, they were in a state of war against Aizen, and it wasn't wise to have a committee try to run a war, so anything dealing with the Squads was Yamamoto's domain until the end of Aizen's threat.. One of Urahara's inventions that Soul Society had received was his special Bankai training doll. It was essential that Soul Society get more Bankai capable people in their ranks as quickly as they could, so all of the Lieutenants and Third Seats had undergone harsh training, and when they felt that they were ready, had been allowed to use the doll in an attempt to reach Bankai. Thus far, only Rangiku Matsumoto had attempted it, and Yamamoto had been hoping for more than just one new Bankai user by the time they had to go to war against Aizen's forces.

None of the Captains responded positively, but both Shuhei Hisagi and Kira Izuru answered in the affirmative. "We've been practicing with them for the last week." Hisagi volunteered.

Yamamoto waited for a moment. "Very well. Now we must send reinforcements to Karakura Town. In a way, we have been fortunate that Aizen delayed the last six months, as it gave us a chance to build up our strength and stabilize our command structure, however Aizen's forces are powerful, and it is unlikely that Urahara will be able to repel a serious assault. At the same time, we cannot leave Soul Society undefended."

"If I may, Captain Commander." Sajin Komamura spoke up. "Perhaps it would be best to send those who have recently attained Bankai as the reinforcements? There are currently four fighters in Karakura Town capable of fighting the level of a Captain, and with them as backup, those who have recently attained Bankai could gain valuable experience in using their Bankai in a real combat situation without too great a danger of losing them while they're getting that experience. It would also allow us to keep the Captains here in case Aizen attempts anything."

Yamamoto nodded. "Kira Izuru and Shuhei Hisagi." Both of them straightened slightly. "Lieutenants Isane Kotetsu and Iba Tetsuzaimon will be handling your duties as temporary Captains while you are in the world of the living. Make certain that they are fully informed of everything they need to know before you leave." They were already stretched thin, but both Squad Four and Squad Seven still had a Captain and a Lieutenant, and could afford to be without their Lieutenants services if they were needed to run help run another Squad. Technically Squads Eleven and Twelve also had both a Captain and a Lieutenant, but Lieutenants Kurotsuchi and Kusajishi would not be permitted to run a Squad.

"I've never fought a Vasto Lorde before, but aren't they supposed to take two Captains to handle?" Surprisingly, Kenpachi Zaraki was the one who spoke up. "If that's the case, and Aizen's supposed to have four of them, then three Lieutenants who've only just achieved Bankai aren't going to be enough. I think you should send a Captain down there with them." Kenpachi grinned, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he had brought it up specifically because he was hoping to be sent with them. After Yamamoto's summary of Urahara's report, he was practically salivating at the chance to be on the front lines when Aizen's forces attacked for real.

Yamamoto considered the bloodthirsty Captain's words. What he said was true, and sending three Lieutenants with no Captain to coordinate them was asking for trouble, since Lieutenants weren't in the habit of taking orders from each other. There was also the need for someone who could face Urahara as an equal. As helpful as the man was being, he was still a wild card.

The question was who to send? He would prefer to send a Captain who still had a Lieutenant with them, so they didn't have to do still more shuffling around, but with Isane Kotetsu and Iba Tetsuzaimon getting set to temporarily assume command of a Squad, the only Captain/Lieutenant pairs left intact were Kurotsuchi and his daughter, Zaraki and Kusajishi, and Soi Fon and Omaeda. Kurotsuchi was too deep in the projects that he had been assigned to be spared, not to mention he needed to be kept on a short leash. Zaraki needed to be kept on a short leash as well, setting him loose in Karakura Town would be a disaster. That just left Soi Fon.

'_Yes, that will do.'_ Soi Fon was probably the best bet. She was easily capable of blending in, she knew how to minimize collateral damage during a fight, and she had previous experience with Urahara. "Very well. Soi Fon, you will leave with them." Zaraki's shoulders visibly slumped, the man clearly dejected at not having been chosen.

"Yes, sir." Her response was short.

There was just one more item to address. "Captain Kurotsuchi. How much progress have you made with Projects Daylight and Spearhead?"

Kurotsuchi glanced over at him. "Project Daylight has been going poorly. I have been unable to discover exactly how Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu works, or come up with a counter for it." He cocked his head to the side. "Perhaps if the limits regarding how invasive my procedures are allowed to be were removed, I might be able to make more progress."

"We have been over this before, Captain Kurotsuchi." Yamamoto said, rejecting his proposal. "And the answer has not changed."

"If you are not willing to allow me optimum conditions for success, then do not be surprised when my research takes longer." Kurotsuchi let his opinion of Yamamoto's decision be well known.

"Enough. We are not here to engage in petty arguments." Yamamoto cut off that part of the conversation. "What about Project Spearhead. How has that been progressing?"

Mayuri gave one final glare before responding. "That, at least, has been going according to schedule. The Mod Souls have powers that are greatly improved from the original batch, and the special Gigai's that they will be using grant them superior performance to every artificial warrior ever created up to this point." Now there was a note of pride in Mayuri's voice, clearly pleased at having one-upped his predecessor, Kisuke Urahara. "Their performance will vary, but the strongest among them will be capable of easily fighting at the level of a Third Seat. The first batch is completed, and we are moving into full production, manufacturing five new Mod Souls and their accompanying Gigai's per week."

At least that was going according to plan. Yamamoto had hoped to have a counter for Aizen's Zanpakuto, several new Bankai users and the Mod Souls by the time that Aizen began to move, but it seemed that he'd only have about half of what he had wanted. "Does anyone else have any business they need to bring up?" After a moment, he continued. "Captain Hitsugaya, inform your Lieutenant of her new assignment. Those of you who are going to the world of the living, make your preparations and leave as quickly as possible. The rest of you, return to your duties. Dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo strode down the white halls of Las Noches, a scowl on his face as he wandered, not really thinking about where he was going. He'd gone to bed shortly after Aizen had dismissed him, but now he was awake again and naturally the person he would usually hang around with, Grimmjow, was still asleep. Normally he would have woken the other Arrancar up, but he hadn't wanted to deal with a grouchy Grimmjow on top of his already sour mood.

He descended down a flight of stairs, grumbling to himself as he strode through an open doorway. "I can't believe that Aizen postponed the attack. There were five people, one of which was too weak to even come out, and I think that just me, Ulqiorra and Nel could have taken the four that were out there. With all the rest of the Espada plus three Captains, it should have been a piece of cake for Aizen to waltz into that town, but no, he decides he'd rather play mind games with his enemies." He stalked down the dark corridor, wondering why Aizen insisted on making everything so complicated. "I'll never understand him. And if it wasn't for the fact that he kicked my ass so thoroughly I wouldn't even be here."

Ichigo stepped out into the moonlight, the sand shifting as his weight pressed down on it. He kicked at it as he looked up at the moon, longing for the days when he had been free to do whatever he wanted without restriction, where he had answered to nobody but himself.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The voice had him instinctively reaching for his Zanpakuto, before he stopped as he recognized the voice and the Reiatsu.

"Neliel." He greeted as he turned to face her. _'I must have been really caught up in my thoughts if I didn't sense her before she said something.'_ "What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"Looking at the moon, just like you were." She said softly, raising her eyes to look at it again. Ichigo shrugged, falling back into his own thoughts. Before he could get very far, her voice jolted him back into awareness. "Kurosaki, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead." While Neliel wasn't his ideal choice for conversation, she was better than being by himself.

Her large hazel eyes gazed at him quietly for a moment before she finally spoke. When she did, it was a question which he had never expected to be asked. "Why do you fight?"


End file.
